Half Fanatic

I am OFFICIALLY in the HALF FANATICS AsyLum!!!! 

Half Fanatic #1654.

I completed TWO Half-Marathons (13.1 miles) in 15 days.  Yippee!

I'm Alive!

I'm alive, I promise!  I knew it had been a while since I last blogged, but I can't believe it was OCTOBER. Really?  Oh, well.  Life has been really busy.


I think about blogging often, but I feel like there's just so much to post.  So, I end up thinking that I'll save it and post on the weekend, but that never happens.  I'll try my best to catch y'all up on everything.


October:
David was the House Officer during October.  He worked from 6:30 pm to about 7:30 am every night.  To say it was awful would be an understatement.  We didn't handle that month well and I think he's still recovering.


The only race event I participated in during October was the 5k to Monet in Edmond.  It was a pretty decent run.  My first mile I clocked at 9:20 which is pretty good for me.


November:
I took my honor chorus on a field trip to the HS on Nov. 9.  We rehearsed with the other schools on our side of the district for our area festival.  The festival was on Thursday, Nov. 10 and was a hit.  Seriously amazing!  I teach the best students.  They really are amazing!
The next day was Veteran's Day and we had our big Veteran's Day assembly at school.  Everything for that went smoothly.  All of my 4th and 5th graders performed and they did a great job.  We had a repeat performance of the musical selections from the Veteran's Day assembly on Thursday, Nov. 17.  It was nice performance and I think our Vet's felt appreciated.


On Nov. 19, I headed to Tulsa with my friends, Lisa and Barbara.  We took a road trip together to run a half marathon.  When we arrived to Tulsa, we headed straight to the expo.  It was a pretty good expo and I made some incredible purchases.  We eventually finished our shopping and then went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.  All the OKC Landrunners met up for dinner at Olive Garden in Utica Square.  That was a lot of fun!  After dinner, we returned to the hotel and went to bed.
The next morning we woke up early for our half marathon.  It was cold, windy, and it was drizzling.  These are NOT the conditions I like to have when running.  We survived though and all finished.  It was such a fun experience and I can't wait to do it again next year.


November was pretty cool for me this year at school.  Somebody nominated me for Teacher of the Year.  I made it past several rounds of voting and was in the top and final 3.  Can you believe it?  Now, Teacher of the Year is a pretty big deal and comes with a lot of responsibility that I don't really want, but what an honor to make it that far after having only completed ONE full year of elementary school.  That was such a positive validation for me.  I feel like I AM doing what I should be doing and I AM doing a great job at it. The other candidate and new Teacher of the Year have taught more than half my lifetime.  I am honored to have my name even placed by theirs.  Congrats to our newest Teacher of the Year!  She will do a wonderful job representing LP.  


I participated in the Edmond Turkey Trot 5k on Thanksgiving.  Some of my fellow Landrunners were there so we joined together and had a wonderful time.  Love them to pieces!


David lucked out this year and was off for Thanksgiving.  We went to his parents house and had a nice meal.  I took rolls, 2 sweet potato pies, a pecan pie, banana bread, and banana pudding.  It was all a hit, as usual. = )




December:
December has just begun and so far it's going great.  I hosted the Christmas Party for my Side By Side Bible Study.  It was wonderful!  I served a dinner of vegetable soup and rolls.  For dessert, I had a hot chocolate bar with tons of goodies.  After we ate, we had a gift exchange to the story of "'Twas The Night Before Christmas"Everybody had a great time.
I took a personal day on Friday, Dec. 2 so I could have a weekend trip in Dallas.  I bet you'll never guess why I went there.  Hehee....  Yep, to RUN!
My friends, Lisa and Ann, picked me up on Friday morning and we headed to the big D.... and I do mean DALLAS.  We stopped for lunch at an Applebee's in Denton for our first round of "laughing so hard that you almost pee your pants" moments and lots of silly photos.  After lunch, we continued on our journey.  We drove straight to the expo where we ended up spending almost 5 HOURS.  I loved every moment of it!!!  I bought so much running stuff that it's almost ridiculous.  How is it possible that I can love a sport this much?  Really?  My, how I've changed.
After the expo we went and checked into our hotel.... the OMNI.  It was magnificent!  Seriously, it was!  Shortly after we arrived to our room, Ann's friend, Jen, arrived.  She is AWESOME!  Jen mentioned that we may actually be twins separated at birth.  Hahahaaaaa.....  Anyway, we were all starving so we walked over to a local cowboy bar and had dinner.  It was crazy fun!  And yes, there were many more of the "laughing so hard that you almost pee your pants" moments and silly photos.  They're on Facebook.  lol!
After dinner I retired for the evening and went to bed (11 pm) because I had only received about 8 hours of sleep TOTAL for the past 2 nights combined.  I was so sleep deprived.  They all stayed down at the hotel bar until midnight.
We all woke up at about 10 am and got ready for the day.  Our mission for the day was to SHOP.  We drove to Northpark Center and had brunch at Corner Bakery before splitting up to shop for several hours.  This mall had everything.  It was the best mall ever.  Really, it was.  There were so many Christmas performances going on in each area of the mall that you could't be a grinch even if you wanted too.  It was glorious!  We all shopped, and shopped, and shopped.
The Landrunners had reservations at Maggiano's so that's where we met everyone with shopping bags in hand.  Maggiano's was delicious as usual.  I sure miss that place.
Lisa and I split up from the other girls because we had a couple of different places we wanted to go after dinner.  We went to Nordstrom Rack and they went to another sporting goods store in search of Smart Wool socks.  I scored some great things at the Rack and can't wait to return to shop there some more in a few months.
After our shopping adventures we went back to the hotel and got all of our race stuff out and ready for the next morning.  We went to bed later than we should have, but we managed to get some sleep.  The alarm went off at 4:45 am on Sunday, Dec. 4.


You'll have to stay tuned for the half marathon story..... it's currently my bed time.   = )    More to come soon!

Home Alone

I'm over October and ready for November.  October really is my favorite month and I love everything that comes with it..... until 2011.  David has been the house officer all month.  This means that he is THE doctor in charge during the night.  He goes to work at 6:30 pm and doesn't get home until almost 8 am.  I don't see him much these days and I'm about to go crazy because of it.  It's difficult to make decisions and be productive when he's not around.  By productive, I mean that I'm unable to hang mirrors, install curtain tie-backs, decide on a dining room table and other needed furniture, etc.
We haven't had a date night in ages and haven't engaged in any real conversation.  Even tonight I was only able to see him for a few minutes due to a faculty meeting I had after school today.  I just have to remind myself that November is around the corner and things will be a little more back to normal.... normal being days.
On a super positive note, I registered for a couple more races.  I'll be participating in a 5K this weekend, a 12K, 3 half marathons, and a full marathon.  Thank goodness for running!

Clown-inspired

Here are a few photos of my most recent cookie job.  They were clown-inspired for a sweet little girl's 5th birthday party.  Her mother made the adorable cupcakes.

Living Room Update

I finally decided on a rug this weekend.  I'm still in need of a coffee table, leather chair, a vintage/antique chair, new curtains, and maybe some more paint to complete this room.  It's going to take some time to find the perfect pieces.  

Change of Plans

So, it's been a long time since I've posted anything.  Sorry about that.  Life has been very busy!  


Anyways, I'm sure you're wondering about the whole "change of plans" post.  Well, Dallas White Rock will NOT be my third half marathon.  It'll be my fourth.  
= )  That's right!!!  I just registered for the Tulsa Route 66 half marathon on Nov. 20 so that will be my third half marathon.  I'll be taking a little road trip with my running buddy, Lisa.  


I also registered for my 5th half marathon.  It will be in Little Rock, Arkansas on March 4.  So I'll have FIVE half marathons under my belt before running the OKC Memorial Marathon.  My training has been going alright.  I suffered from a cold for a little over a week and missed one weekend long run.  I've been back out there since, but I really need to start kicking it into high gear now.  I'm absolutely thrilled to be running so much and participating in all these races.  It is so fun and an amazing journey.

Half Marathon #3

I registered to run my third half-marathon.  This one will be a girls road trip with my friends Ann and Lisa. I'm so excited to run another 13.1 and do some serious shopping in Dallas.  We're going to have a blast!


I encourage you to register for the Dallas White Rock Marathon.  


This half-marathon will help me focus to reach the 13.1 necessary base to begin my full marathon training.  Yes, I'm registered for the OKC Memorial Marathon on April 29, 2012.  I'll be running 26.2 miles!

VOTE

Please VOTE for my BEACH COOKIES over at Sweetopia.net. They're featured in Sweetopia's Sweet of the Week Contest.  


It would be pretty amazing to win since this is only a hobby for me. My cookies are competing against creations by people who are actually in the baking business for a living. : ) Happy Voting! Thanks so much!

Kitchen Update

Jenn= 0; Ceiling fan= 1
Note to self: turn OFF the fan before getting on a ladder/stool to paint.

The orangish drab color is gone!  Take a look...

 This deep plum will look great behind my milk glassware.

It's a HAPPY gray!

I'm not calling the kitchen complete yet, because it's not.  I'll touch up a couple of areas with paint and our new SS Professional Range will be delivered at the end of the month.  We're planning on purchasing a matching SS dishwasher soon too.  We just haven't officially decided on one yet.  For some reason, dishwashers don't have very good reviews so we're going to have to conduct more research.

I'd like to eventually distress the cabinets and replace the light fixtures.  That'll all have to happen AFTER we move in.  I still need to pack up our apartment and put everything in boxes so it's ready for the movers.  Thankfully this will be the last move we'll make for a very long time.  

Kitchen: In Progress

I'm (yep, just me so far!) painting the kitchen in attempt to brighten it up a bit. 

Before

In progress.... the primer has been applied.

I'm also painting the breakfast nook.  The previous color was fine and all, but I really want to make this space feel more open, fun and cheery.  

Stay tuned for updates!

Refinished Floors

Our decision to have the hardwood floors refinished 

was well worth the investment.  They are gorgeous!

Before

After

Christmas In September

Here's what we've purchased this weekend:


Front-loading Washer
Front-loading Dryer
Elliptical and mat
Weight Rack and mat
Decorative Iron Fence to keep Ethan (our Yorkie) safely in the backyard
40" Stainless Steel Electric Range


The flooring company we hired started on our floors Saturday, Sept. 3.  They look and smell like new!  I picked out the stain already.  It was a tough job.  Oh, my!  The job should be completed this week.
After the floors are done, I'm hoping to hire a painting company to do a custom paint job for us.  It'll be awesome if we can afford it.  Everything is adding up so quickly.  It's exhausting, but fun and very nice to feel like a real adult again opposed to a college kid.


We still need to purchase a microwave, coffee table & end tables, kitchen table & chairs, and a grill.  After all that, I think we'll go on a spending fast for a while.

It's OURS!

Home, Sweet Home! 

We sold our first home and most of our belongings in May 2007 and have been living like poor college students ever since. The dream of owning a home again seemed to be exactly that... a dream.  

It turns out that dreams do come true.  

We purchased our first home TOGETHER today.  The closing was at 4 pm.  Everything went fabulous and we couldn't be more excited.  Thank you for your prayers along the journey.

We won't be moving in for a few weeks because we're having the original hardwood floors refinished.  The company we hired will start on the floors on Tuesday, Sept. 6.  After that, I'm hoping to hire a professional painting company to artistically paint the kitchen and the 2nd bedroom.  I look forward to seeing the finished product.  I'll be sure to post more photos soon.  

Apartment Living

"Luxury" Apartments are overrated.  


10:30 am:
GOOD: A vocal major that practices. BAD: The vocalist is your upstairs neighbor who practices while you're trying to sleep. 
If David weren't sleeping after working a 24+ hour shift, I'll pull out all my instruments and declare an obnoxious musical war. There's a reason I DO NOT practice while living in an apartment. Praying we close on our house on Wednesday at 4 and can get out of this awful place! (more firetrucks here this morning)

8:45 pm:  
Our neighbor just came to our door to inform us that she's a vocalist and will be practicing late tonight because she has auditions tomorrow.  My reply:  Aren't there practice rooms at OCU?  She replies, "It's OKCU and the practice rooms are really dead."  seriously.....  I feel like I'm living in a college dormitory.  

A Teacher's Life

Almost 10 hours later, I've finally completed 2 lessons (1 weeks worth) for the 3-day rotations for grades K-5. That's 12 individualized and very thorough lesson plans. I also completed 5 loads of laundry, unloaded and loaded the dishwasher, cleaned up the bathrooms, went to Office Depot and Target to spend some POs and have had 1 LARGE cup of iced coffee, 1 glass of water, and some cottage cheese. I'm exhausted, dehydrated, and hungry. My poor husband and dog want me to watch TV/Movies and play. I want to cry.  I need 4 more of me AND a housekeeper. 


I did NOT get up for Week 4 Training with the OKC Landrunners.  I'm suffering from exhaustion and sore/tired feet.  Hopefully I'll make it out for a run tomorrow. 

Midnight Streak 5K

On Saturday, Aug. 13 I participated in the Midnight Streak 5K.  I had already been up since 4am and ran 5.4 miles for the training run, shopped at a fabulous estate sale, attended the RPSA (Resident Physician Spouse Alliance) Brunch, and hung out with Dave.  By the time 8pm rolled around, I was already tired.  My normal bedtime for the summer has been between 8:30-9:30, so staying up so late wasn't easy. 

I was dressed and had just put my bib number on when I took a sip of iced coffee.  The little seal was twisted up in the lid and I ended up wearing my coffee.  I quickly changed and went for my bright, happy "Run" shirt.  Anyways, I left home just a few minutes before 10pm.  I met up with my friends for some before race photos.  We're not responsible for our actions past our bedtime as seen in the photos.  Ha!  

Me, Cathy, & Jenny

 Me with my OKC Landrunner buddies

 Me, Holly, Jenny, & Cathy

Ann, Lisa, & Me

After the race, I went to IHOP with Ann, Lisa & her husband, and Evelyn.  It was a great time!  I hadn't laughed so hard in quite awhile.  I'm pretty sure all of our abs were sore the next day due to all the laughter.  Too fun!  

Here's my entry from DailyMile:  

I could come up with excuses, but the "excuses" are more impressive than anything. My day started at 4am with a 5.4 mile run/walk (trying not to overdo it) combo. The day was packed with events and NO time to rest. My bedtime is normally between 8:30-9:30, so it's impressive that I stayed up for the Midnight Streak 5K RACE that started at 11pm. It was late at NIGHT, in the HEAT and had to run up a monster HILL towards the end! It's impressive I finished. Whew! Afterwards, I went to IHOP with some running buddies and didn't get home until 2am and didn't go to bed until 3am.  I slept in until 10am the next morning.

Fall Training - Week 3

The training schedule listed 10 miles for full marathoners and 5 for half marathoners.  I did a run/walk combo with my friend, Laura, who recently had her boot removed.  She hadn't run since the full marathon on May 1 due to 2 fractures.  Laura was a little nervous about her time back out there, but she did awesome.  No pain!  I'm so proud of her for her determination.  

We conquered 5.4 miles together.  

Here is a photo of me with my Landrunner buddies.  Love them!

Go, Landrunners!  

Sewing

Remember the sewing machine David gifted me for Christmas 2010?  Here's a photo of my proud moment.....

Sadly, we don't have a table and there's always too much going on in our kitchen to use the counter space, so it stayed safely boxed up for a few months.  By a few months, I mean 8 months.  It was 8 months of me wanting to sew so badly, but not having anywhere to set up this wonderful machine.  
I was recently blessed with a sewing machine table from my Grandma.  The very woman who's taught me so much about being domestic loves to contribute to my Domestic Diva hobbies as much as possible.  The sewing machine table actually has a sewing machine built in, but I haven't had a chance to try it out because I was too anxious to try out mine.  
This past week I learned how to thread the bobbin and thread the needle.  I took some older pillow cases and repurposed them for a cheap project.  I made a giant music staff to hang on my bulletin board at school.  I'm going to see if there's a simple way I can make it interactive for classroom use.  Photos of that will be posted at another time.... hopefully.  Here's a photo of the giant music staff...

My sweet friend, Natalie, let me borrow her pattern for cupcake potholders.  It is my first project with a pattern.  I did as much as I could today, but can't complete the next step until I buy and install the appropriated sized needle.  Here's a couple of photos of my first sewing project.....

I think this turning out to be pretty cute for my first project. My friend, Natalie, was impressed with my straight quilting lines that act as the cupcake liner.  
I obviously have a LOT to learn, but I'm having a good time.  

Obedient Pup

LOVE my dog, Ethan! He's so smart!

Long Hours

My DH left for the hospital a few minutes ago.  He is starting a little later today since he has short call this evening.  That's right, he left home at 6am and won't return until sometime after 8.  I'll be meeting up with a colleague for dinner tonight at 8:15.  This means I probably won't actually see my DH until tomorrow morning since I'll be getting home after he's already in bed asleep.  
He worked a shorter shift on Sunday because it was the weekend.  Somehow, they aren't usually too busy on the weekends and they can knock out the work pretty quickly.  Even with that short day on Sunday he still ended up with over 30 hours at the end of work on Tuesday.  
I'm still not really used to his long hours yet.  I've been able to keep up with the laundry, housecleaning, dishes, shopping, errands, etc. because I've been on summer break.  I think his long hours will really hit me when I go back to work and have a rough time fitting in all of our household chores.  It'll make my days seem shorter and his even longer.  How many more days of this?  I'm just going to have to take it one day at a time.  

Fall Training - Week 2

The week 2 training run schedule was 8 miles for full marathoners and 4 for half marathoners.  You guessed it... I "ran" 4.  I couldn't find my awesome Injinji socks as I was getting dressed the morning of my run, so I just wore another pair of running socks.  Bad Idea.  I could feel blisters forming on the bottoms of my toes as I was about 1 mile from finishing.  The pain became more intense and I ended up walking in the last 1/2 mile.  I drained those bad boys (blisters) when I got home and they seem to be doing better so far.  I'm having a couple of other foot problems, but I won't talk about them in this post.  I'll save it for next time.  It's gross.  

I LOVE the OKC Landrunners!  I've made some wonderful friends through this group.  They are truly inspiring and always encouraging.  

Ann, Lisa, & Me

Me and some of my running buddies enjoying 

a post-run treat at the Nichols Hills Starbucks.

A close group of us running gals within the Landrunners had a farewell dinner at Nunu's for our dear friend, Maura.  Her husband was transferred with his job so they're moving to Washington.  She will be missed!
Do we look a little different without our running gear and 5 gallons of sweat?  

(L to R) Cathy, Maura, Dyani, Jenny, Me, Terra

Fall Training - Week 1

The OKC Landrunners officially started the fall training group runs on July 30.  Full marathoners ran a scheduled 6 mile run that day.  The half marathoners ran 3.  I'm working on the half marathon training schedule again so I only ran 3 miles for our first training run.  Well, I say "ran" very loosely.  I ran 2 and walked 1.  The heat is too much for me.  It makes me miserable!  I need some cooler temps.

There are a couple of half marathons I'd like to do this fall, but it all depends on our crazy schedules and finances with the new house and all.  My plan is to train for the half (13.1 miles) this fall and then bump it up for the full (26.2 miles) this spring.  I sure hope my body and mind can handle it.

Me with my running buddies:

(L to R) Terra, Jenny's Mother, Jenny, Jenny's Sister, Me

Me with some of my Landrunner friends

 at the Nichols Hills Starbucks 

for a post-run treat.

Questions to Ponder

What good is an instrumental musician 
without their instrument?

What good is a baker without an oven?

What good is a cook without food 
(because they have no fridge to store it in)?

What good is a dinner party host without a table?

What good is a deck without patio furniture?  

What good is owning a home 
if you don't have the basic essentials in it?

How good can the quality of life be 
when you are a slave to debt?

Excuse me while I go eat another cookie....

Culinary Compositions

After many comments, praise and encouragement, I've decided to create a Facebook page dedicated to things I make in the kitchen.  Please "like" Culinary Compositions on Facebook.  It's a place where I'll post photos and recipes.  I hope to inspire others to spend more time in their kitchens at home creating tasty dishes from scratch instead of eating out all the time or eating something that came from a box.  Always pursue happiness and health!

Advice

Today I'm holding on tight to a piece of advice I heard from another Medical Spouse right before Residency started.  She said, "Love the man, hate the Doctor."  I just knew I'd have to remember that phrase sooner or later.  Well, the time has come.
My DH informed me this morning that the vacation time he requested won't exactly work out as planned.  Yes, I know the key word is "request", but it's usually not difficult for them to get that requested time off.  We each have $250 in SW LUV vouchers we can use towards our next flight.  Spring break was when we were planning on using them for another vacation.  Well, it turns out that it's not going to work out that way.  The DH is scheduled for Jeopardy during the back half of March.  He's already tried swapping with the person who has Jeopardy during the front half, but apparently he has vacation plans for spring break too.  At this point, our only option is to try to pay somebody to cover his jeopardy and then hopefully make the money back by taking somebody else's Jeopardy.  
If you don't understand all of the "doctor" scheduling, it's alright. I don't get it much either.  All I know is as of right now we won't be able to vacation together.  So, I'm remembering "Love the man, hate the Doctor." 


On a positive note, I made a wonderful breakfast for myself this morning.  I mean, I always eat a wonderful breakfast, but lately it's been egg whites and some low-fat cheese.  This morning I'm suffering from a horrible migraine and didn't feel like eating the usual.  
I would post a photo of my breakfast, but I ate it before I could snap one.  Oops.  I enjoyed Fage Greek yogurt (lower in sugar and higher in protein than other yogurt) (1/2 a small container = 3.5 ounces of Fage) with 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder, 1 pump SF vanilla Torani, fresh blueberries, 1Tbsp. old fashioned oats, and a few almond slices.  It was crazy good!  You should definitely give it a try!  

Food Review - Gigi's Cupcakes

Pretty= yes.  Taste= meh.....

This is their Orange Dreamsicle Cupcake.  The actual cupcake was dry and bland, but the frosting was dreamsicley delicious.

A blog follower (and friend) commented on my recent food review of Cupcakes To Go Go.  She was curious if I'd tried Gigi's Cupcakes.  I have tried Gigi's here in OKC and wasn't impressed.  
When the DH and I walked in we were greeted with a beautiful case of cupcakes.  They really were quite gorgeous.  We ordered the Orange Dreamsicle Cupcake to go.  Once we got home we were excited to try our cupcake.  As we both took a bite and chewed it, we looked at each other with disappointment.  Our conclusions were that the buttercream icing was piled too high but pretty dreamsicley delicious. The cake part of the cupcake was dry, stale, and flavorless.  The texture was all wrong.  We discovered that we weren't the only cupcake connoisseurs that thought this.  


Here's what a friend said on Facebook in response to the above photo and caption:
"I have to agree!  Darling cupcakes but nothing special taste... Unless all you care about is frosting.  And then, even still, it's quite expensive for just the joy of the frosting.  Oh, well... Gotta try all the cupcake shops!  : )"


Life is too short to get calories from things that aren't worth it. Over 1/2 of our cupcake went in the trash.  We would have been happier with Pillsbury boxed cake mix and frosting.

Food Review - Matthew Kenney OKC

This RAW restaurant was featured on LivingSocial several months ago.  I purchased the deal.  If I remember correctly, I only paid $25 for $50 worth of food.  I took David to this restaurant one evening and we took a look at the menu before sitting.  He noticed that they specialized in raw, dairy free, gluten-free, and vegan dishes.  That was it for him.  We left and ate somewhere else that evening.  

I decided my Mother In-Law would be the perfect person to try this place out with me.  She's okay not having meat and does very well with ethnic foods and trying new things.  So, as soon as she returned to OKC from her summer adventure in Santa Fe, I had to meet her for lunch.  We made a girly date and enjoyed trying out this restaurant.  

Matthew Kenney OKC was much better than I expected.  I'm very much an avocado girl, so I thoroughly enjoyed their 'chips and guac.'  The guac was chunky and had an incredible flavor.  It was served with cacoa-corn chips, which were surprisingly good.  I would love to go back and order this again.  

The green curry noodle dish was probably my second favorite item.  It was so fresh and the flavor combinations were wonderful.  I just wish I knew the nutrition information for the kelp noodles.  

While still incredibly delicious, my least favorite dish was the fajita lettuce wrap.  Going by the title and description, I assumed that it was served in a fresh leaf of lettuce so I was quite surprised to find that it was actually served in a wrap.  It was probably my least favorite because it wasn't super unique and I could make something very similar in my own kitchen.

The pizza bianco was excellent!  It was served on a giant cacao-chip.  I'm not sure if the whipped marscapone was real or some sort of substitute because I was told everything was dairy-free and vegan.  As I'm sure you know, marscapone is a cheese.  Either way, I may be lactose-intolerant (can't do milk or ice cream), but I'm not a dairy-free gal.  I LOVE cheese!

Matthew Kenney OKC isn't a place I'll go often, but I really enjoyed it from the food to the ambiance.  It was wonderful and I definitely recommend giving them a try if you're in the OKC area.  It's located in the hottest new place in OKC, the Classen Curve. 

‘chips and guac’

fork crushed avocado, cacao-corn chips, pickled green chili, smoked salt, mole

green curry noodles

thai coconut, kelp noodles, peachcrest vegetables, basil, chili, almonds

fajita lettuce wrap

marinated vegetables, pico de gallo, avocado ‘beans’, sour cream, cilantro

pizza bianco

whipped marscapone, sweet peppers, young arugula, marinara, spicy olive oil

400th Post!

This is my 400th post!  I thought I'd celebrate by posting current photos of my fur-child because he's usually lying on my lap while I blog.  Love him to pieces!

A BIG THANK YOU to all of my readers!  

It has been my pleasure to have you along for the journey.  I hope you'll continue to follow "Music & Medicine" because things are going to start getting a little more exciting around here.  Enjoy!

Food Review - Cupcakes To Go Go

I have a couple of friends that swear by Cupcakes To Go Go located in Edmond, Oklahoma.  They say their cupcakes are the best in the state and that I should give them a try.  I love and adore my friends, but I've come to the conclusion that we don't have the same tastes when it comes to cupcakes. Their #1 flavor recommendation was the Almond Resort.  First of all, I'm not a fan of fake almond.  I love real almonds, but the fake flavoring just doesn't do it for me.  My friends didn't believe there was a fake almond taste at all, but simply explained it to be like the most incredible wedding cake ever made.  So, I gave this place and their Almond Resort a try.  
My conclusions are that these are not from scratch cupcakes.  The texture was that of a boxed mix.  It was piled pretty high with almond buttercream frosting.  I'm also guessing the buttercream was made of shortening (Crisco) and not butter.  My reason to believe that is due to the fact that it was 104 degrees out and I left 3/4 of 2 uneaten cupcakes in my car for about 1 1/2 hours and they didn't melt.  Also, the buttercream frosting tasted like that fake almond extract of which I'm not a fan.  
We all have different tastes and that's part of what makes the world so beautiful.  Boxed cake mix topped with fake flavoring buttercream that's piled high isn't appealing to me in the least. If you're a fan of a consistent cake that's piled high with buttercream frosting, then this is your place.  You'll love it!  I'll stick to my favorite place which meets my snobbish occasional cupcake needs, Sara Sara Cupcakes.  

SOLD!

It's official!  Our offer was accepted on a house today.  We're set to close on August 31.


This is the first home that David and I are purchasing together.  Our first home was purchased solo by him when he was 20 and only 4 days before we were engaged.  We lived in that home until May 2007 when we sold it to move to St. Louis to pursue a dream.  Apartments have been our home ever since.  


We've moved so much in the past year that the idea of doing it again is absolutely exhausting.  At least this time it will be the last time for quite a while.  Seriously, we don't plan on moving again for at least 5 years.  


Here's a lovely photo of our home...

It's a historic home (completely redone) in OKC that was originally built in 1920.  It's 2 bed/2 bath in a highly sought after neighborhood.  It still has the original hardwood floors, Frankoma fireplace, original glass doorknobs and so much more!
The kitchen currently has an antique stove/oven, but we're having them remove it prior to closing.  The actual oven space was too small for what I do, so I'll be shopping for a new one soon.  Yippee!
The garage has an air-conditioned room that's separate and we'll eventually use that as a home gym (Note to my DH: I would LOVE an elliptical for Christmas).  The master bedroom has a private door that opens up to the patio where our hot tub is located.  We'll use the 2nd room as our "media room" for 2-4 years until it's time to have a kid.  lol!  
This home was so well taken care of and we just love it!  It's on a corner lot and about 3.1 miles to DH's work and 6 miles to mine.  It's also super close to the bakers supply store I've been shopping at lately.  I feel there are more cookie orders in my future.  lol!
The backyard is absolutely gorgeous!
Please pray the inspection and everything else goes well. 

O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A

To all of my friends & family living somewhere 
other than Oklahoma.  

Howdy, from Oklahoma!  You are missed!

Life's A Beach!

I had a fabulous time decorating these cookies.  

The theme was fantastic! 

New Addition!

My DH knows how much I used my mixer so he treated me to this BEAUTY!

I'm currently working on a dessert order and it was the perfect opportunity to try out my new mixer.  One word = WOW!  I LOVE it!
As you can see from the photos, it's the KitchenAid Professional 600.  It has a 6-qt. bowl and a 575 watt motor.  That's some power!  I may need to take a few more cookie/dessert jobs to help pay for this, but that's currently in the works.  Contact me if you're interested in placing an order.