My Slightly Silly World

Dilly Mustard Pork Chops

2012-01-25T11:48:00.000-08:00

As promised, here is my much anticipated Dilly Mustard Pork Chop recipe. I found a similar recipe on EverydayPaleo.com titled Dad's Pork Chops. I didn't have all the ingredients listed so I made up my own version and thus my Dilly Mustard Pork Chop recipe was born. Generally I am hesitate when it comes to pork chops. They always seem to come out extra dry when I attempt to make them, but this recipe for the other white meat is a thing of beauty. Because I am not home all nights of the week and Danny eats enough food for a small army, I make a Costco sized helping of these pork chops. We live and die by leftovers in the Lehr household.

Ingredients:

There they are, in all their glory.

Chop it up

The other white meat

Half a cup of Deli Mustard -I prefer the Beaver brand...it has whole mustard seeds and a bit of delicious horseradish in it.

1 cup of Dijon Mustard- Pardon me, Do you have any Grey Poupon? (or whatever store brand you want)

6ish large cloves of garlic

2ish tablespoons of dried dill weed

Coconut Oil 3-4 tablespoons

Sea Salt

Pepper

Costco Package of bone in, thin cut, pork chops (there's usually about 12 in a package)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375

Mix both mustards, dill, a dash of salt and pepper, and chopped garlic in a bowl. Place coconut oil in large oven safe frying pan on medium heat. While the oil is heating up, salt and pepper both sides of the pork chops

Place 3-4 pork chops in the pan for 3ish minutes on each side so that the pork chop develops a hint of golden brown color on the outside, but is not cooked all the way through. Place pork chops to the side and do the same with the rest. This helps to seal in the highly anticipated juiciness of the chops.

Dill Mustard Goodness

I love this bowl.

Oven Safe Pan

Salted and Peppered Chops

Once the last set of pork chops is done, turn off the heat on the pan. Place a single layer of pork chops on the bottom of the pan and distribute the dill mustard mixture evenly on the tops of the chops. Make another layer of deliciousness with the next set of pork chops and add more of the mustard mixture. Repeat. When your layering is done, (mine is three layers of meaty goodness) place the pork chops in the oven for 30-40 minutes. The more (or less) pork chops you have will obviously affect the time. If you are unsure of the doneness (is doneness a word?) of the pork chops, simply cut into one of the middle ones to make sure you aren't serving under-cooked meat....we aren't trying to impress anyone here, just feed our ravenous significant others without giving them food poisoning.

Browned chops

Single layer

Layers of heavenly pork

My oven is not very clean

No time for a pretty picture, must eat.

The Fabric of Our Lives

2012-01-17T20:28:00.000-08:00

10ish months ago, I developed a slightly embarrassing rash that is located approximately where my Xiphoid process should be. It all started when I decided to stop being such a pansy and regularly go to Crossfit Excel. While it has crossed my mind that I could possibly be allergic to exercise, this is not the case. I am allergic to the elastic in bras. While talking about bras on the inter-webs is not usually my thing, my hunt for a non allergy producing bra is comical. So with a bit of hesitation, I will forge the river and blog on.

With such a rapid, increased exposure to elastic (I was also running 3 times a week), my body decided that the elastic was attacking my skin. Now any slight exposure to elastic in my brassieres create an unattractive, itchy, miserable, rash.

I was fortunate enough to have one all cotton bra from everyone's favorite store, Target. Because it was from Target, and it was my only one, I knew I needed to find some fast.

My other dilemma was finding all cotton sports bras. Sports bras are tricky. I need something that flattens me like a piece of ply wood....for aerodynamic purposes and such. Besides duct tape, elastic is the only real solution to the fitness portion of my bra situation. I happened upon some cotton sports bras at Target (the elastic portion at the bottom is covered in cotton), and promptly purchased 6 of them. Because I desire minimal bounce in my fitness endevours, I am forced to wear not one, but two cotton sports bras at once. Cotton is not known for its flatten-you-like-a-pancake quality.

When it comes to a regular brassiere, I had three options: Burn my bra and become a hippie (never in a million years), be destined to the same single bra for the rest of my life (gross), or compete in the near impossible cotton bra hunt (sign me up).

My first order of business in this hypoallergenic bra hunt, was to recruit a friend. I decided upon my friend, Melisa, whom I have enough dirt on to blackmail if she ever tells anyone about my disgusting rash. Secondly, Melisa could be a professional shopper in her spare time. With my good friend in tow, we headed to JCPenny.

I don't know why I chose JCPenny, perhaps because JCPenny screams cotton lingerie. I went to the appropriate bra section...the no frills-I've-been-married-for-7-years section, and found many bras labeled as cotton. I thoroughly inspected these bras and found that the connecting piece between the two cups was made of some sort of Lycra/elastic allergy inducing material. I asked the nice lingerie lady for help. She pointed me to the same bras that I had just been looking at. I explained my situation. She gave me two suggestions. Her first suggestion was to go to the medical supply store on McHenry because, "They have all sorts of weird things there." Thank you ma'am I already feel distraught about the situation, now you are calling me weird. She then suggested I go to Motherhood, which is a maternity clothing store, to buy nursing bras. "Nursing bras are almost always all cotton." I contemplated this for a moment. I decided that at this point in my life I really can't bring myself to walk into a maternity store and buy a nursing bra for my non nursing, childless, self.

Next it was off to the mecca of all things lingerie, Victoria's Secret. I asked the lady where the cotton section was and she looked at me as if I were a leper. Whatever Victoria, you and your store are full of overly priced padded undergarments and your models need to go eat a steak. I walked out of the store in tears and drowned my sorrows in a cookie. (Just kidding, no cookies).

Our last hope was Macy's. Macy's is the department store of all department stores. It has to have cotton brassieres. I walked straight to the non frilly bra section and was quickly met with the same problem I had at JCPenny. I headed to the massive sale section and spotted what appeared to be the perfect bra. The all cotton Ralph Lauren bra was nestled between some crazy demi cup lacy purple number and a pair of Spanx. I quickly grabbed it and checked the size: B. Drat. I shoved past the old women and young ladies who were all looking for things to impress their dates with that evening. I glanced at the Calvin Klein section, someone who is known for his simple designs surely must have a hypoallergenic bra for my poor soul.

There it was shouting, "Pick me! Pick me!" The all white, all cotton, bra was covered in Calvin's signature. I didn't care if I did not know this man, I needed this bra. The size was perfect and the price didn't matter (although I will admit now I spent a ridiculous amount of money on it). I did a happy dance and high fived Melisa. I finally found my hypoallergenic bra.

Since finding the elusive cotton bra, I have discovered that I am not alone in my contact dermatitis issues. There are many websites that sell hypoallerginc bras to women with my same elastic allergy issue. You can bet I will be frequenting these websites in the near future. I am also happy to report that my contact dermatitis is completely gone thanks to you, Cotton....the fabric of my life.

On December

2012-01-04T19:54:00.000-08:00

Some time in 2010, my creativeness slowly started diminishing. In an effort to increase blog postage I said that once a month I would write about 5 things: My favorite dress, favorite activity, favorite recipe, favorite nap, and favorite irk. Here's the first one I ever wrote: http://myslightlysillyworld.blogspot.com/2010/11/on-october.html. That lasted for about 3 months, then my writing ADD took me else where. Well, you're in luck folks, I'm bringing it back (until I change my mind again). I hope you enjoy my synopsis of December 2011.

Favorite Dress: Cobalt Blue Sequin Dress

Me and my friend Emily in our formal wear.

Remember when I was obsessed with dresses: Dress to Impress? I've calmed down a bit on the dress wearing. Not that I don't love them any less, however I've been working out like a mad woman and living in Lycra....gasp. I might of only wore one dress in December, but it would of been my favorite anyways. I wore this cobalt, blue, sequined dress to our annual Crossfit Excel Christmas party. I found the dress at Express and could not avert my eyes from it's shininess. I've been a bit of a sequin kick lately. Danny wore his blue dress shirt (one of two dress shirts he owns) and we looked almost as sweet as we did on our very first date (my junior prom).

One of many prom poses.

Favorite Activity: Wined and Dined at the Nutcracker Ballet in San Francisco.

Danny and his Oly coach, Jon, decided to do something really sweet for their wives (both named Jessica...which got really confusing). They took us to the Nutcracker Ballet in San Francisco. I have a small confession to make. I love Christmas, but sometimes it makes me a little depressed. No matter how sweetly I decorate the tree, no matter if I have to work or not, and no matter how many times I drive around looking at the beautiful Christmas lights, it's still never quite as magical as when I was a kid. It makes me miss my childhood....not that there is anything wrong with my adulthood, but I think we can all agree, being a kid was awesome. This really sweet random act of kindness was the perfect activity to shake off my Christmas blues. The wining and dining consisted of wraps and waters from the San Ramon Safeway. The boys had good dining intentions, but we were running late. The freeway dining was, believe it or not, quite comical and probably better than any fancy restaurant in the city. The ballet was breathtaking. The building itself was so beautiful I let out a little gasp when we entered. There was even fake snow falling from the sky as we entered. The Snow Flake Dance had to be the most breathtaking of them all. When the ballet was over we hurried to the car and all four of us practiced our ballet moves. It was quite the sight to see, a couple of big time weight lifters doing pirouettes. I think I might have felt that same Christmas magic as I did when I was a child.

Favorite Recipe: Dill Mustard Pork Chops

I'm going to be posting this delicious recipe soon....just know that it makes a boring pork chop amazing.

Favorite Nap: Christmas Afternoon Nap

Tayler enjoying his Christmas nap

I knew I was going to take a nap at some point on Christmas. I had to prep my body for a long night at work. Little did I know, that this would be the nap of all naps for the month of December. We went to my parent's for Christmas breakfast and it was nothing but lovely. Eggs, biscuits, sausage, bacon, hot chocolate, mimosas, and blueberry cream cheese bread pudding, all made for quite the feast. My gluttonous and gluten filled Christmas meal made me very sleepy. It made me so sleepy that I took a two and a half hour, nap, which is quite the departure from my usual pre work hour long nap. Danny slept like a little Christmas angel as well.

Favorite Irk: 99 South Traffic

The shopper's delight, Vintage Fair Mall, is on my way to work. Normally this is not a problem as I take the freeway past this mecca of over charged credit cards and pre teens. The month of December is a different story. Everyone and their mother's go to the mall to buy the latest and greatest Christmas gifts. This influx of traffic spills onto the freeway causing Christmas chaos, when all I want to do is get to work and save lives. As soon as Black Friday hits, I know I have to leave for work 5-10 minutes earlier to adjust for traffic. This does not make me happy. As soon as December 26th comes around I breathe a sigh of relief. An extra 5-10 minutes at home is always appreciated.

Making it Happen

2012-01-01T16:31:00.000-08:00

I don't know how I feel about New Year's resolutions. I am continually reflecting on life and setting new goals for myself, I don't need the number 11 to turn into a 12 to do that. However, I do think that writing down goals and telling people makes one far more likely to achieve those goals. Accountability is a big motivator. So for New Year's sake, I will jump on board with a few resolutions of my own.

1. Blog more often -I've been slacking....big time. I love writing and apparently, we should do what we love. I don't expect the New York Times to be calling me up anytime soon, so I better keep on blogging.

2. Get back to Paleo-I have to say I usually eat very clean. I am proud of myself for the progress I made last year. The holiday season got a little sketchy, but I'm back to my meat and veggies and feeling so good about it. Six pack (of abs, not beer) here I come.

3. Increase my back squat by 30 pounds -With my new oly shoes and simply showing up to the gym regularly this will happen in no time. When you have good form and a giant caboose, squats are easy peasy.

4. New Car- White Lightening (My 2002 Nissan Sentra) is getting pretty old. I've had her since high school when my dear dad decided I should have a more reliable car than a 1990 something teal green Ford Aspire hatchback that shook anytime I went past 60 miles an hour. White Lightening has been good to me, but I'm ready for an upgrade.

The first car I ever owned... fondly called, The Turtle.

5. Fertility- I need a kid of my own. I needed one a year ago, but God had other plans. Hoping and praying that this will be the year that Danny and I finally expand our little family. Any prayers/positive vibes/ finger crossings would be much appreciated.

6. Redo our office- It's a hodge podge of hand me down furniture and bulletin boards. I am sick of looking at the mismatched woods, creepy blue/grey carpet, and white walls. A trip to Home Depot and Ikea is in the works as we speak....perhaps I'll even blog about it.

With that said, I better get to getting on these resolutions...errr I mean goals.

Sweet and Spicy Butternut Squash

2011-12-26T19:22:00.000-08:00

Recently I was blessed with an abundance of butternut squash (the most heavenly squash in the world). Every fall, like clockwork, I get an insatiable appetite for all things butternutty. Last fall, it was my recipe for roasted rosemary and balsamic vinegar squash. This year, it's my Sweet and Spicy Butternut Squash. You can have it for breakfast or have it for dinner (this recipe really is a winner). I like it so much, my skin is starting to have a slightly orange hue. How Jersey Shore of me.

Ingredients:

One whole butternut squash
Olive oil
Coconut oil (optional)
Butter from grass fed cows (Kerrygold)
Massive amount of cinnamon
Chili powder
Cayenne pepper
Nutmeg
Allspice
Sea salt
Pepper
Paprika

Santa and Mrs. Claus, supervising

Santa loves nutmeg

Mrs. Claus is more of an olive oil lady

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Cut butternut squash in half width wise then length wise so that there are 4 large pieces left. Spoon out seeds and discard. With a heavy duty vegetable peeler or knife, peel the annoyingly thick skin of the squash. Proceed to cut the squash into approximately one inch cubes. You can also take the easy way out and buy pre cubed squash, but what's the fun in that? Spread the cubed squash evenly on the cookie sheet.

Sprinkle with a lot of cinnamon (I'm not really into measuring my ingredients). Sprinkle with some chili powder, a small amount of cayenne pepper, a lot of sea salt, and pepper to taste. Add a few pinches of allspice and nutmeg. Finish your seasoning extravaganza with a sprinkle of paprika. Of note: The main flavoring is cinnamon, the other spices play more of a supporting role in this dish.

Santa approves

Drizzle with olive oil. Spread 4-5 pats of butter throughout pan. And if you have it, add twoish tablespoons of coconut oil (makes it a little crisp, yum). Toss the squash with your hands so that the spices and oil cover evenly. Re-spread the squash out on the pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Taste a piece of squash, if still firm, cook for 5 more minutes. Sometimes, I'll get a hankering for a more French fry like consistency… to achieve this, skip the olive oil, just use coconut oil, and at the end of the cooking process, switch your oven to broil for 4-5 minutes for a nice crispy treat.

Let cool a bit and add more salt if you would like. Hide a serving or two in the back of your fridge, because your husband will eat it all. Enjoy!

The Sport of Spectating

2011-11-02T14:29:00.000-07:00

As of last year, my super strong hubby has been participating in the sport of Olympic weightlifting. While he is setting personal records and competing in meets, I am participating in a sport of my own: the sport of spectating.

I enjoy going to these meets and watching Danny's incredible talent in lifting heavy (very heavy) things. For approximately 6 minutes (the lifter has 1 minute to make each lift), my heart is going bonkers and I'm holding my breath, until Danny completes his lift. There are two lifts: The Snatch and the Clean and Jerk. The lifter gets 3 chances to complete each lift with the weight either staying the same (if they miss it) or increasing if the lift is good. Once Danny is done lifting, I can calm down and take in my interesting surroundings. Olympic weightlifters are a rare breed and certainly fun to watch.

One attribute that is common among Oly lifters is their large buttocks. While I promise I am not siting around staring at these giant bums, it is hard to ignore these monstrous rears, especially when they are wearing nothing but singlets (think leotards, but slightly more manly). I appreciate these large rears, not in a lustful way, but in the fact that my own rear fits right in.

There are always a few former Olympians in the room, my favorite being Butch Curry. Butch is now the president of the PWA (Pacific Weightlifting Association). I have a few personal observations about Butch that I would like to share, mind you I have never actually spoken to Butch, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt.

Firstly, what kind of a name is Butch besides that of a Looney Toons cartoon character's and my dog's? Secondly, I would imagine a former Olympian to have the body of a Greek god. Butch's body is more comparable to that of a jolly seasonal Santa Claus mall employee. Butch wears the same outfit to every meet that I have attended. His attire is all black, perhaps for it's slimming properties. His outfit consists of black shorts in the summer and black jeans in the winter. A black t shirt is worn under a tank top made out of synthetic material (that is also black) with a white ribbing outlining it. I am not sure if Butch is trying to relive his singlet wearing days, as this is kind of the effect it creates, or if he honestly thinks this is a good look for him. Either way, I say kudos to Butch. Sometimes I wish I could wear the same thing every day and if I did have that option, you bet I would choose black as my signature color.

For having such a tough name, Butch sure seems to be a happy guy. He is always chuckling and seems genuinely excited to spend all of his weekends at Oly meets. I decided to research Butch's Olympic standings. It turns out that Butch qualified for the Olympics and was ready to go and make our country proud. The only problem was Butch qualified to go during the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.... you know the Olympics that we boycotted. Everything that I have gathered about Butch from afar is making a lot more sense.

Butch in his finer days

The other Butch

A minor Looney Toon's Character, Butch

Oly weightlifters typically have a specific routine that is carried out right before they attempt the lift. To a newbie, these rituals can appear odd, a bit frightening, and down right silly. Animalistic grunts, pounding of the chests, strange breathing patterns, and slapping of the rears are the norm. One recent female lifter that I had the pleasure of watching, did a sort of hissing sound while performing what appeared to be ballet moves. I suppose these rituals are to not only pump the lifter up, but to satisfy their superstitious ways. Danny does have a ritual, but it's nothing too crazy. He stares at the bar for a second, then quickly steps forward and stomps his feet rather loudly. He then grabs the bar and readjusts his position one time, even though it was perfectly fine the first time. Every now and then he will let out the classic weightlifter grunt...then goes on to make an amazing lift.

When the female lifters start lifting, I'm always a little jealous. I think I may have missed my calling (athletically speaking) in life. My body shape is pretty similar to that of a weightlifter, having large quadriceps and glutes (the beloved pear shape... ) plus I've always had this weird obsession with being strong, even before I started getting into Crossfit. I quickly void my heart of any desire to participate in these events, as I do not like to be the center of attention and there is no way in hell that I could let out any type of animalistic grunt. Despite my reservations, these ladies are amazing. Their strength and confidence is thrilling to watch.

One more weightlifting phenomenon that I have noticed is that the amount of facial hair a lifter has may be propotional to how much weight he can lift. Take for example Danny, who is always sporting a full beard or our friend Buddy who even hopped on board the facial hair train at last weeks competition. Both boys did incredibly well. Some might say this has to do with hard work and determination, I say it has to do with the beard.

Despite my observations, my main source of enjoyment is the look on Danny's face after he realizes that he has made the lifts that he has been working so hard for every day. He and all these big booty lifters certainly are inspiring.

Philadelphia Day 5: From Cheesesteaks to Salad Bowls.

2011-09-15T15:40:00.000-07:00

We woke with a feeling of that intense exhaustion that most people feel at the end of their vacation...you know, the reason why people say they need a vacation from their vacation. We tidied ourselves up enough to enjoy one last so-so breakfast at the glorious Alexander Inn.

While semi enjoying our continental breakfast, the inn keeper asked us where we were headed back to. We explained as most Riponians/Mantecans do that we were about an hour south of Sacramento. The inn keeper, which by the way is his official title, exclaimed, "Oh goodness! The salad bowl of America!" While I think Salinas Valley is actually the official, "Salad bowl of America," I assume he meant that we were from agriculturally rich territory, in which case he would be correct: We were headed home to the salad bowl of America.

Before our flight we had a couple hours to spare so we stopped by Liberty Center for a few last minute souvenirs. We then sauntered over to the last of William Penn's squares, that we had yet to visit.

Of all 5 squares, Franklin Square is the most kid friendly. There's a pretty water feature in the middle, a mini golf course, and a merry go round for one's enjoyment.

Franklin Square

Everyone loves a water fountain

Perhaps the best part of Franklin Square was also the most upsetting. It turns out that the mini golf course is a mini replica of the Philadelphia. All of the city's most famous landmarks are mapped out in a minature fashion of fun and golf. You can hit a hole in one through Elfreth's Alley or make par at City Hall. (Notice how I threw in all the golf lingo I know...) The most upsetting part is that we discovered the mini Philadelphia golf course after we had already explored every single one of these landmarks. It would of been nice to get a lay of the land prior to our adventures.

Liberty Bell/Independence Hall

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Lehr's on our 6th wedding anniversary

Elfreth's Alley

After contemplating actually playing some mini golf, then deciding it would be better to make our flight (much to Danny's disappointment), we went in search of Philadelphia's China Town. I don't know what I was expecting, but Philadelphia's China Town is not a bustling Asian city within a city. I suppose I was expecting a San Francisco-esque China Town. I must admit, the Chinese Friendship Gate was pretty.

Chinese Frienship Gate

Our last stop on our hustling and bustling tour of Cheesesteak town, was the Reading Terminal Market. In 1892 the Reading Railroad opened the Reading Terminal Market underneath the storage area for its trains. I have not confirmed this with research of the least bit (not even Wikipedia research) but I think the Reading Railroad is the same railroad that you can, "Hitch a ride on," in Monopoly. The Reading Terminal Market has survived the Super Walmarts and Winco's of our crazy country and is still considered one of the greatest food markets in the world.

Reading Terminal Market

The market is overwhelming in an extremely awesome way. Seeing, smelling, and tasting so many amazing things at once, may just send you into sensory overload. From Pennsylvania Dutch merchants to fresh cut flowers the Reading Terminal Market has everything a Foodie/Indie/Uppity soul could ever dream of.

As sort of a last ode to all things Philadelphia (think hearty, greasy, deliciousness) we ordered some pulled pork sandwiches from Dinic's. It turns out Dinic's has been featured on the Food Network and let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

We somehow made it out of the Reading Market without falling into a deep yet delightful food coma. At the Alexander Inn we waited in the lobby for our taxi ride, which I am happy to report was much less terrifying than our taxi ride there.

Philadelphia is like most cities in that it is a mixture of art, history, food, and fun. It is unlike any city in that it grabs these common city themes, chews them up, spits them out, and makes them uniquely it's own. Philadelphia's intensity is something you can only experience if you go there. So I suggest you do that. Just be prepared for when you leave you too, will have been chewed up, spit out, somehow encased in brotherly love then left in a state of historical, artistic, and culinary disarray:

Time to head back to the Salad Bowl

To read all my Philadelphia blogs in order start here: http://myslightlysillyworld.blogspot.com/2011/06/philadelphia-day-1-killadelphia.html

Philadelphia Day 4: A Day of Oddities and Such

2011-08-18T20:24:00.000-07:00

Art work in the Mutter Museum gift shop

Day four of our Philadelphia adventure was a day for sleeping in...clear till 8 am. Since we took the luxury of sleeping in, we decided to forgo a giant breakfast and have the continental breakfast at the Alexander Inn. The continental breakfast consisted of various cereals, dry bagels, toaster waffles, English muffins, fruit, yogurt, and hard boiled eggs. I smothered the bagel in cream cheese to make it decent. Danny added peanut butter and artificial syrup to his toaster waffles. The coffee was delicious.

Our next destination was the Mutter Museum. Mutter Museum is located in the Philadelphia College of Physicians, which was founded in 1787. It is the oldest private medical society in the U.S. and the birthplace of American medicine.

Mutter Museum

The Mutter Museum does not allow photography, which bummed me out. The museum is filled with medical oddities, anatomical specimens, wax models, and antique medical equipment. I was thrilled when the ticket seller only charged me for the youth price. He charged Danny the adult price, which I may have rubbed in a little.

I soon became thrilled with all the weird and mysterious medical oddities. Along with medical oddities, the Mutter Museum is home to anatomical pieces of history. A piece of tissue from John Wilkes Booth's vertebrae is in a jar. If that doesn't thrill you, a section of Charles J.Guiteau's brain (President Garfield's assassin) is on display at the Mutter Museum. Other thrilling exhibits include the Soap Lady (a sort of self mummification medical weirdness), various fetal anomalies, a 9 foot long human colon that contained 40 pounds of fecal matter (too far?), and the rib cage of a woman who wore a corset a little too often.

If you like weird sciencey things and are not easily grossed out by colons and such, then the Mutter Museum is for you.

Next we were off to the Franklin Institute. When entering the Franklin Institute you are immediately greeted by a giant memorial to Benjamin Franklin.

The Franklin Institute

Me and Benny F.

The statue is ginormous. The walls surrounding the statue have rotating Franklin quotes illuminated on them. It's pretty inspiring stuff. This man said ...and did some amazing things for our country.

Early to bed and early to rise...
makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.

Diligence is the mother of good luck -Benjamin Franklin

An oddity that occurred during day 4 of our Philly exploration, was that we did not explore more of the Franklin Institute. Beyond the giant statue tourists can pay to see the rest of the Institute. There was a massive mummy exhibit, a gigantic heart that you could climb in, and some sort of electricity fun room. It's a kid friendly place, which I am usually all about, but I feel like I've been to the Franklin Institute a million times. The Exploritorium, The California Academy of Science, and The Field Museum in Chicago all have the same sort of feeling and I'm over it. You know the old saying.....Once you've seen one mummy, you've seen 'em all.

After some Frankspiration, we walked....and walked and walked some more to the Belgian Cafe.

Belgian Cafe

The Belgian Cafe seemed pretty authentic in it's belgianicity...but I'm not always a good judge of authenticity. The air conditioning was on full blast and Neil Young was playing on the radio... which I enjoyed. There were murals of half naked ladies on the walls which seems very European... Danny was too busy looking at the extensive beer list to notice the European art. A direct quote from Danny is, "The Belgian Cafe has hella beers." They also had pommes frites served with this amazing homemade mayonnaise sauce. I am a sucker for a good french fry....and these pommes frites had me wrapped around their thin greasy little fingers.

I have a super nerdy confession to make. When I plan on blogging about something, I take notes during my experience. I know...I know. So I asked Danny how he liked his beer. Mocking my note taking he replied, "Let the record show the beer was good."

Belgian goodness

We then scampered off to the creepy yet delightful Eastern State Penitentiary. Eastern State Penitentiary is startlingly beautiful. From the outside it appears like a castle on the edge of a modern city.

Eastern State Penitentiary

I'm not a huge fan of audio tours, but the Eastern State Penitentiary audio tour is legit. The voice coming across the archaic headphones is Steve Buscemi's...you know the guy from Fargo. Before starting the tour, I recommend taking some pictures by the prison wall looking like an inmate.

Can't cage this bird

Locked up for my sick karate moves

It's Big Dan to you.

Fear the Lehrs

The Eastern State Penitentiary opened it's gates in 1829. It was the first penitentiary of its kind in America. Before penitentiaries, jails had problems with overcrowding and less than humane conditions. People who committed more serious crimes faced public punishments like this:

Apparently being whipped in public wasn't effective against serious crime, so a group of philosophers and such (Benny Franklin being one of them) got together and planned the worlds first penitentiary...a place for penitence. The cell blocks were spread like spokes of a wheel from the central guard station. Theoretically if a guard were standing in the middle, he could see all blocks at the same time.

The inmates rarely left their cells. During the infrequent trips outside their cells, the inmates wore masks to keep them from communicating with anyone they may come in contact with.

Creepy!

The cells have individual feed doors and exercise yards to enhance the solitary confinement.

Fuzzy cell block.

Sky light...termed "God's Eye"

Exercise yard.

It turns out that years of solitude don't always correct a criminal's behavior. In fact, solitary confinement usually made them go a little crazy. Lucky for them, having a prison based on this idea was extremely expensive. Since America's population and criminal activity was growing, Eastern State Penitentiary had to abandon this idea. Soon the cell blocks became two and three stories tall, most did not have individual exercise yards, and each cell had two prisoners in it.

The prison's architect had cathedrialish taste.

My cell mate

Planning my escape

Eastern State Penitentiary officially closed its doors in 1970. When touring the prison it will definitely make you think twice about correctional methods both current and past. It will also make you think about ghosts (some claim they are there) and Al Capone (one of Eastern State's most famous prisoners).

Next it was off to Citizen's Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies, for an A's vs. Phillies game. A Day of Oddities would have been the perfect name if our pitiful Athletics would of won, however the A's couldn't pull through for my artistic sake. Citizen's Bank Park is new, shiny, and beautiful...everything that the Coliseum is not.

Phillie Phanatic.

Let's go Oakland.

The real story lies not in the Athletics' typical 1-0 loss, but in America's stupid obsession with frozen yogurt. I almost wrote a blog solely dedicated to this new frozen yogurt trend. It seems everyone is obsessed with these Chilaberries and Yogafina places where you can put various toppings on frozen yogurt. I ask of America, what is wrong with ice cream... good old fashioned, heavy on the cream, ice cream? Nothing. In fact it is far superior to any frozen yogurt. Please don't try to argue that frozen yogurt is healthier for you. You can take the fat out of the frozen yogurt, but you cant hide the bucket fulls of sugar. Anyway, enough of my "Fro Yo" rant....

Danny said he wanted to try some frozen yogurt at the game. I agreed only because we were on vacation together and I was trying to be positive. Maybe this frozen yogurt would blow my mind (or give me brain freeze).

We got in the very long line and waited. Despite hating long lines, I thought it might be a good sign. Then something strange happened. The frozen yogurt lady came up to us and told us that we were the end of the line. It was the 7th inning. She said you have to tell the people behind you that's no one past you gets yogurt. Danny and I were perplexed, but everyone kept saying the yogurt was worth it.

So here we had the uneasy task of telling Phillie fans that that we, Athletic fans, were the last people to get yogurt. Of course droves of people got in line after that. Each time Danny would tell them the story and they wouldn't believe him. I would then confirm his story. Sometimes they would listen and sometimes they would go ask the frozen yogurt lady only to march off in a fit of frozen yogurt rage.

Then a man and his girlfriend came up behind us who also initially did not believe us. The man with the heavy Jersey accent, believed us after someone else confirmed our story. He then told us, "Oh, we will have frozen yogurt! I can talk my way into any club in the city. We will get it." I thought to myself, "What do night clubs and frozen yogurt have to do with one another?" He went and spoke with the frozen yogurt lady and came back with a grin on his face. He said he told her his girlfriend was pregnant and this was the only thing she wanted. She did not look pregnant in the least. I hope that's not how he gets into, "Any club in the city." So the Jersey guy took over the job of sending people away...which we were thankful for.

When we got to the front of the line the frozen yogurt lady gave the four of us extra toppings for our troubles. When she handed the "pregnant" lady her yogurt, she used her oh-you-are-pregnant-so-you-should-be-treated-like-a-princess voice and said, "Is there anything else I can get for you sweet heart?" Laughing on the inside. I took a bite of my frozen yogurt and proclaimed that there was nothing special about this frozen yogurt. In fact, it may have been the worst frozen yogurt I have ever had. I guess the specialness comes from the experience.

Blah

Philadelphia Day 3: Eye of the Tiger

2011-07-11T18:39:00.000-07:00

Our morning started out the way most days do. Danny went to a different Crossfit affiliate and I pressed snooze on the alarm clock, warding off any inner urge to go run. This is vacation, I'm supposed to be lazy. It's a good thing that Danny wasn't in vacation mode, because he got a tip from a Crossfitter that Morning Glory was the place to eat breakfast.

Off to Morning Glory we went. Through the heat, humidity, and mist we forged on for the sake of a tasty breakfast. I would describe Morning Glory as glorious. Glorious is a word I reserve for things that are heaven sent. My dog (whom I love incredibly much) Tayler's middle name is Glory: Tayler Glory Lehr.

Tayler Glory Lehr

The inside was cute, although not as cute as Sabrina's. I enjoyed the funky paint color on the wainscoting throughout the room, which was actually the color of a morning glory. We were greeted by a very nice waitress who served us giant cups of coffee in aluminium camping mugs. We were also given complimentary glasses of ginger lemonade, which sounds odd for breakfast, but was perfect in every way.

Ginger Lemonade,
notice the wainscoting?

Again we asked the waitress what to get. She said that they were featured on the Food Network for their Monkey French Toast. While tempting, I was more in the mood for eggs. I decided to roll with the frittata thing I had going on and get the Sweet and Savory Frittata which has pears, brie, and bacon in it. How could that be wrong? Danny also kept with his theme of breakfast burritos and got one with sausage that is freshly made just around the corner from Morning Glory. He also ordered a pancake on the side. Like I said, the food was glorious. My breakfast came with this amazing homemade biscuit that I could not stop eating. While I'm usually a strictly butter girl when I do cross into carbohydrate territory, I tried some of the homemade jam on my biscuit and was pleasantly surprised. I also tried a bite of Danny's pancake with real, yes, REAL maple syrup and I was amazed. I usually find maple syrup disgusting and cannot tell the difference between it and a bottle of corn syrup, but real maple syrup is gold. In fact the waitress called it just that.

I'm thinking lunch is going to be light today.

Burrito woahito

It's 5 o clock somewhere? Just kidding,
a bottle of homemade ketchup!

Since we hadn't made it to the Masonic Temple the previous day, due to cameragate, we decided to go today. When we planned this trip I knew Danny had wanted to go to the Masonic temple. I agreed to this even though honestly, I knew very little about the Freemasons. I knew that they are sort of secretive, they've been around for a while, and there are a bunch of conspiracies out there about them. I asked Danny what he knew. His response was, "I think it's like a giant Moose Lodge, but fancier."

Fancy Moose Lodge

We arrived at the grand Masonic Temple, and bought tickets for a tour. We had some time to spare before the tour started, so we went across the street and played a giant board game.

Karate

Strong Woman

Deadlifting a Monopoly game piece

Care for a ride my lady?

The Masonic Temple tour started with the tour group waiting around in some fancy library/parlour. There was a picture of the current Grand Master Mason in the center of the room. I then looked around at the people who we were taking the tour with and noticed that the rest of the group had a good 40 years on us. I accepted this age discrepancy with an open mind. It is well known amongst my friends that I am a little old lady at heart.

Our tour guide entered the room and looked very annoyed with all of us elderly people. He pressed a button in his hand and the room started talking. I could sense some confusion amongst my elderly comrades....Where was this voice coming from? Who was this person? Was it God or Morgan Freeman?

The tour guide then pressed his button discretely to silence the voice and described what we would see on our tour. There are 7 halls in the Grand Masonic Lodge of Pennsylvania. These halls are where the different Masonic Lodges meet. The 7 Halls are decorated in different styles/eras and look like they cost a pretty penny. While the man was explaining what we would be doing he said that this was an architectual tour, however, if anyone had any questions about Masons he would answer them. Being that he is a Freemason who is pretty high up there on the Freemason scale, he knew what he was talking about.

Despite being annoyed, (he was kind of a pompous ass, which I realize makes me sound like an ass) the tour guide did answer a lot of questions about Freemasonry (without giving away any secrets). He talked so fast I couldn't remember everything he said. Here is what I can recall:

There are a bunch of conspiracies about Freemasons. He says that they are just a fraternity who spreads good will. Anyone who thinks anything else is silly.

To be a Freemason you must be a man (darn!), believe in a supreme being (but they do not discuss religion in the meetings), and be of good morals and good reputation (whatever that means).

They are not allowed to discuss politics within the lodge. I find that hard to believe...Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and Gerald Ford were all Freemasons and the list goes on.

The Freemasons donate approximately 2 million dollars to various charities a day. I also find this hard to believe. I don't know why, but I do.

There are lots of weird rituals and handshakes that go on. He said if we wanted to know more, we should become Masons. Since I'm not planning on becoming a man anytime soon, I'll have to live out the rest of my life wondering about these secret rituals.

Besides all this interesting secrecy, the 7 Halls are beautiful. If you are ever in Philadelphia you should check them out.

Oriental Hall

Gothic Hall

Ionic Hall

Egyptian Hall

Norman Hall

Renaissance Hall

Corinthian Hall

One of three banquet rooms. There is
a Turkey above the door, because Benjamin Franklin
(a mason) thought the Turkey should be the national bird.

Tom Thumb, also a Freemason

Even after going on a guided tour of a Grand Mason Lodge, I still am confused by the Freemasons. Are they a bunch of men in suits who know how to decorate halls and just want to have a good time or are they a super secretive fraternity of political and religious elitists? Danny is sticking with his "Fancy Moose Lodge" theory.

We stopped by the LOVE sculpture, which is a famous Philadelphia landmark. While we were taking pictures by the LOVE sculpture, we saw a man dressed in a dog suit. I was very confused and thought this man dog might be insane. Danny assured me that the dog man was promoting a new show on FX called Wilfred. Wilfred is about a dog and his neighbor. The neighbor sees Wilfred not as a normal dog, but as a man dressed in a dog suit. Last year when we wet to Chicago we saw Vince Vaughn... perhaps my brief brushes with stardom will continue on our next vacation.

Love

Wilfred

Danny decided he was hot and thirsty so he suggested milkshakes. Even though I wasn't hungry, I know that the suggestion of milkshakes is very rare opportunity, and when it does occur, I do not turn it down. So we found Darlings Cafe which was on the way to our next destination. Darlings Cafe is known for their cheesecake along with other sweets. Danny decided we should try some cheesecake too, "Because you know Philadelphia is known for it's cheesecakes." I reminded him that it was known for it's cheeseSTEAKS not cheesecakes. We ordered a piece of their "famous" bananas foster cheesecake. Let me tell you, if every cheesecake in Philadelphia tasted like those at Darlings Cafe, it might just be famous for them too. Danny's chocolate milkshake satisfied his craving and my strawberry milkshake reminded me why I don't usually order strawberry milkshakes.

Darling's Cafe: Home of the original Philly Cheesecake

Our next venture would accomplish our third goal that we had set for ourselves while visiting Philly. Yes, we were going to go run up the Philadelphia Art Museum steps like Silvester Stallone did in Rocky. For some reason, Danny has a small obsession with Rocky movies...and Rambo movies...I guess it's more of a Silvester Stallone obsession.

I was a little nervous for this part of the trip. I mean, Rocky ran up those steps...what makes me think that I am physically capable of doing anything that Rocky has done? When we finally reached the great steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, I started regretting my lackluster strawberry milkshake...and wearing jeans. Who wears jeans while running? We stopped by Rocky's statues for a little inspiration:

Danny and his hero

I'm not saying a statue talked to me, because that would sound a bit crazy. However, he was definitely looking at me and I may have pretended that he said, "Yo Jessicaaaaaaaaaa, you can do it." Clinging onto Rocky's words of wisdom, I took a big gulp and looked up to my final destination:

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Gulp

I pumped myself up by singing what few lyrics of the Rocky song Eye of the Tiger, I knew. I put one foot in front of the other and ran. "It's the eye of the tiger it's the end of the fight...." Those are the only lyrics I know so I just sang them over and over again.....and before I knew it I was at the top. You know what? It was nothing compared to a Crossfit workout, heck it was nothing compared to my weekly jogs. I almost felt a little disappointed in Rocky.

Eye of the Tiger...end of the fight

Conquering Philly

Next it was Danny's turn. We traded the precious new camera and I captured his quintessential Philadelphia moment. Of course if it was easy for me, it would be a piece of cake (cheesecake?) for Danny.

Go Danny go

Get it

After sweating up a storm, (not because of the work, but because of humidity) we went into the art museum and bought tickets too see the various art pieces. I felt a little weird being in an art museum after doing something so unarty. The air conditioner outweighed my thoughts of irony.

The Philadelphia Art Museum is huge, however they were doing some remodeling while we were there so we did not get to see everything. Unfortunately I have been spoiled by the Art Institute of Chicago and didn't find Philly's to be as magnificent. These are some of the pieces that I found exciting:

Thomas Eakins, The Concert Singer

Thomas Eakins, The Agnew Clinic

Degas, The Ballet Class

Rodin, The Thinker

Andy Warhol, Four Jackies

These are plaster casts of various people's belly buttons.
This is the only time I got in trouble for taking a picture...
go figure.

There was a nifty vintage pharmaceuticals
poster collection

A very old French monastery in the middle of the museum...
pretty cool.

Knights in shiny armor

artsy view from the museum

After the art museum, we walked around a bit and tried to find a place for dinner. We settled on Village Whisky. It's near Rittenhouse Square, (one of William Penn's five squares) which is a rather upscale part of Philadelphia. Village Whisky was just a hamburger/whisky bar joint, so we figured the prices couldn't be that bad. When we arrived at Village Whisky and placed our name with the hostess, I was surprised to find a familiar face asking how many our party was. It was the mousy cat lady from the chocolate shop. She recongnized us too, probably because Danny is the most recognizable man in the whole world. Yes, she was still wearing her cat glasses. Maybe she works two jobs to pay for such fancy specs.

Rittenhouse Square

I read online that the duck fat french fries were the best. I have never had duck fat anything, but I decided if I wanted to be a real foodie, I should. So we ordered those along with the King Whisky hamburger for myself and a bbq pulled pork sandwhich for Danny. We both ordered Philly Pale Ale Yards to drink. I must say they were delicious. While scarfing duck fat french fries down my face I decided that I liked them, but to be honest, I like regular french fries too. Maybe I'm not a foodie after all. The hamburger was outstanding. I even exclaimed, "I think this is the best hamburger I've ever had!" When we got the bill, I quickly refuted my previous statement, "This is not the best hamburger I've ever had."

Duck Fat Fries. A moment on the lips
forever on the hips

King Whisky

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich

With our stomachs full and our wallets empty, we headed back to the hotel.....stay tuned for day 4!

Philadelphia Day 2: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

2011-07-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

Danny and I both woke up early despite having jet lag. Danny decided to check out one of the local Crossfit gyms. I decided that I didn't want to walk around Philadelphia complaining of soreness all day, so I went for a little jog on the hotel treadmill. The hotel gym was in the basement with little windows that peered up to the city street above. It was kind of fun to stare at people's different shoes walking by without them knowing I was looking. Now that I think of it, that sounds a little creepy.

I can see you!

After sweating up a storm, we cleaned ourselves up and headed off to Sabrina's for breakfast. The clouds were threatening with rain (which turned out to be a promise), but it was warm outside. I decided that the hilarious television show, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, was the perfect title for my slightly sarcastic, rainy day blog.

Sabrina's Cafe is nothing to brag about on the outside. The inside is a different story. It's the perfect twist of antique charm with modern day funk. Across from where I sat (under the air conditioner unit) was a chalk drawing of The Last Supper. Surrounding the table were various aquatic animals, with the walrus representing Jesus. This led to us Lehr folk singing I am the Walrus (coo coo ca choo).

Sabrina's Cafe

I am the walrus

Our waitress was this funky blonde girl with multiple tattoos. Tattoos have become pretty popular recently, but I'm pretty sure Philadelphians were the original tattoo aficionados. Everyone is tattooed there. I'm talking about real hardcore Philly tattoos, not some lame tribal tattoo around a bicep. (Forgive me, everyone I know who has gone tribal) I'm pretty sure our waitress had a bald eagle holding a snake tattooed on her thigh.

Anyway, enough tattoo talk. We asked the tattooed waitress what we should get. She recommended the breakfast burrito with a side of guacamole, the lox platter, or the bleu cheese and pancetta frittata with sweet potato fries. My 1/4 Jewish self was tempted to go with the lox platter, but the combination of two of my favorite things (bleu cheese and pancetta (only a 1/4 Jewish folks ) won out. Danny ordered the breakfast burrito and a pancake on the side.

Breakfast burrito boom shakalaca

Perfection on a plate

I don't know if I have had a better frittata in my life. Danny could say the same for his breakfast burrito. The portion sizes were ginormous. I felt like this literally could be my last supper. If you are ever in Philadelphia go to Sabrina's Cafe. Breakfast heaven awaits you.

Next we waddled through the streets of Philadelphia to Washington Square. When William Penn made plans for the city of Philadelphia, he designated 5 squares of park like space for the city. The center square is now city hall. The open squares allowed for recreating, breathing fresh air, and helped to stop the spread of fire.

Washington Square

Like many American dreams, Penn's original vision for Washington Square didn't quit pan out at first. It became a burial ground for the city's African American community and a place of sorrow. Later during the Revolutionary War, soldiers who died in battle were brought back to Washington Square and laid to rest. To add another layer of sadness to Washington Square, Philadelphians who died from an outbreak of yellow fever were also buried there.

Washington Square has since been restored to Penn's original vision and is a place of beauty, recreation, and reflection. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (from the Revolutionary War) is there and reminds us all to be thankful to those who died for our country. A less serious tid bit about Washington Square is the Moon Tree. The Moon Tree was planted from a seed that traveled to the moon (via rocket ship) in 1975. While Danny was reading about the Moon Tree, a lady in scrubs walked by and yelled, "The Moon Tree is dead!" She was right, the Moon Tree is dead. I suppose it makes sense for Washington Square to be the final resting place of yet another significant entity in American history.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

"Beneath this stone rests a soldier of Washington's
army who died to give you liberty"

Dead Moon Tree

Next it was off to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. The best part about these two historical quests is that they are free. I'm pleased that the government hasn't tried to suppress us with monumental fees to see these symbols of our nation's freedom.

The Liberty Bell isn't quite as big as I imagined. It isn't inside Independence Hall anymore and has it's own special (air conditioned) building for viewing. It also does not ring anymore, but it is still a symbol of, "...the American Revolution and it is a symbol of liberties gained and liberties denied." While waiting in line to see the bell, I whispered various bell sayings and songs to Danny like, "Let freedom riiiiiiiiiiiiiiing," and "You can ring my belllllllll, ring my bell!"

Let freedom ring!

You can ring my belllllllll, ring my bell

Ding dong the witch is dead

Onward we marched to Independence Hall. The outside of Independence Hall was in need of repair thus construction was going on while we were there. Luckily we were still able to tour the inside for free.

Independence Hall under construction

Independence Hall

The tour started in the West Wing, which brought images of TV political dramas to my head. We then went on to the Federal Courtroom. Above the judges chair, the British Coat of Arms once hung. When Washington and his army got all riled up about independence, they dragged the coat of arms through the street and burned it.

Federal Courtroom

The courtroom is interesting but let's be real, we all came to see the signing room. This is where both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed. Pretty much everything that I could remember from US History came flooding back to me, "No taxation without representation," and "...the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness," were echoing in my head.

2 of the 3 most influential people in American history.

Signing Room or Pennsylvania Assembly Room

The big chair in the back of the room, that you see pictured above is Washington's original chair. There is a half sun engraved on the chair. Apparently James Madison recorded everything that was going on during the federal conventions. Ben Franklin said of the chair, "I have often looked at that behind the president without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting. But now I know that it is a rising sun." I like this Benny Franklin guy. He was a double signer...meaning he signed the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Plus he says things like this:

Wisdom from a forefather

Rising Sun Chair

We then toured Congress Hall which is where the representatives and senators met. Danny and I pretended to be representatives while taking in history.

Representative Lehr and Representative....Lehr

Of the two Representatives pictured,
whom would you want representing you?

We went on to venture over to the second federal bank in the US. The first one is closed to the public. The second bank now houses an art collection of various revolutionary figures in the US. My favorite picture was of Martha Washington.

Second Bank

I think Martha and I would of gotten along well.

Then it was off to Elfreth's Alley, the oldest residential street in America. It is still occupied today. This was right up my alley (pardon the pun). I love houses. I love old houses. I love cute, old, houses. Elfreth's Alley is literally just an alley surrounded by modern day buildings, but with it's cobble stone street, patriotic shutters, and lush flower boxes, I felt like I was transported back to the 1700s. Since people still live here, you can't go inside (although there is one that has been converted to a museum that is tourable). I was content with just looking at the outside and imagining myself living there.

Elfreth's Alley

Quaint

From the backyard of the museum

While I was getting really excited about all the cute houses, I had an idea. My idea was for Danny to take a picture of me sitting on the front steps of one of the houses. I felt a little weird doing this, as the home that I chose has people still living in it. However I needed a picture, so that when I am tired of my house and it's suburban ways, I can have something to dream about. I was all set to go, sitting on the steps, big cheesy smile in place, when my normally not very clumsy husband, broke my brand new camera.

I was crushed....and the camera was too. How would I document our trip? How would I write a blog without pictures....as my words are never enough. Of course Danny felt bad so I tried not to let my disappointment show, but when you've known someone as long as we've known each other, it's easy to tell when someone is faking it.

Danny took a picture of me on the steps with his iphone. We then discussed how we really needed iphone4s because our camera phones don't have flashes.

Faking Bliss

We were headed off to the Masonic Temple when we happened to pass Benjamin Franklin's grave and the Betsy Ross house. For those of you who are historically inept, Betsy Ross made the first American Flag. This is what she looks like in doll form:

Yes, she always has that look on her face

Betsy's house

Beware of men dressed in colonial garb

If you are really desperate to see Benjamin Franklin's grave you can pay $2 to check out his grave and the cemetery. Or you can do like we did and walk past the cemetery, stick your phone through the iron fence posts, and take a picture of his grave. Benny's grave isn't very impressive, no large statue or grandiose tombstone to commemorate this great man. Simple and elegant is how I would describe it, perhaps much like Benjamin himself. We threw a penny on his grave like other's did. I couldn't help but wonder if we should of thrown a 100 dollar bill on his grave rather than a coin with Lincoln's image on it.

Benjamin Franklin's Grave

It's a good thing we didn't throw a Benjamin bill on Franklin's grave, because we then decided to take a detour from soaking in history and buy a new camera. You would think that purchasing a camera of similar quality to that of your new Sony Cybershot would be easy in a large city such as Philadelphia. You thought wrong.

Our camera search started at a mall located downtown. It might have been called Liberty Mall? or Independence Shopping Mall....something to that patriotic effect. We found a K Mart and started the camera search. Apparently cameras are a hot commodity in Philadelphia because every single one that we picked out were sold out. Frustrated with K Mart, we left and went to Radio Shack.

A nice lady at Radio Shack assisted us on our camera hunt. She had Flo Jo like finger nails, but handled the cameras with ease.

Flo Jo

We finally decided on a camera so the lady with the long fingernails went to see if they had it in stock. She came back asking us if we wanted the good news or the bad news first. We chose bad. The camera we had picked out was out of stock. Good news? They had the same camera....only in a different color....pink. Being a female, I don't care what color my camera is, as long as it takes pictures. Danny surprisingly did not want a pink camera. I was shocked, my Danny cared about the color of the camera? My secure-in-his-manhood, silly, goofy, confident Danny is embarrassed to carry around a pink camera? Sadly, he is folks. In a fit of frustration, (I was missing out on history here people) I said fine we can get this other more expensive red camera. The long nailed lady described it as "red hot!" It ended up not having some feature that Danny wanted so... off we went.

I came across a Staples and quickly texted my favorite Staples Copy Center employee, Melisa Gries, and asked if they sold cameras. They did. Of course Staples was sold out of the camera that we wanted. I picked out a Canon with similar capabilites to our broken one and with a little convincing from the nice man at Staples, Danny said okay to the red (Red Hot!) Canon. With a camera in hand and oodles of history/cheesesteaks awaiting, we were back to our pleasant selves.

First picture with new non pink- however Red Hot, camera

With the camera debacle behind us, we decided to go to Tria: A beer, wine, and cheese bar that is conveniently located right across from the Alexander Inn. It was happy hour and that meant only one thing: an inexpensive beer for me, wine for Danny (again...he really couldn't handle the pink camera?), and some fancy brie like cheese with cherries and bread.

Tria

A little note about Tria. Everything was great but there are more waitresses than there are tables in this place. To make the waitress/waiter situation even more puzzling, all the staff are wearing everyday clothes...like the customers. I didn't know who was coming or going, ordering or taking orders, serving or being served.

Nothing says classy like fancy cheese and dried cherries

A brief pit stop at our hotel room and we were off to Jim's for cheesesteaks. Jim's was recommended to us by our Penn State medical student friend, Todd. He told us that Gino's and Pat's (the two cheesesteakeries that claim to be the original makers of the Philadelphia classic) were for tourists. I researched cheesesteaks before heading to Jim's and discovered that the classic Philadelphia style cheesesteak has thinly sliced beef, cooked onions, and melted cheese on a roll. The cheese can either be provolone or Cheese Whiz. While Cheese Whiz has not been around since the dawn of cheesesteaks, it is now considered by many Philadelphians to be the only way to go. I learned that when ordering at Jim's you need to know what you were having before you make it up to the counter where the cheesesteak maker is impatiently waiting for you to order. I also learned that when ordering a cheesteak with Cheese Whiz, you simply say, "Cheese steak wit whiz." No not, "with whiz," leave off the "h" or you will be taken for a fool.

While eating my first classic cheesesteak, my thoughts were of deliciousness and how despite the questionableness of cheese that is squirted out of a can, ordering wit whiz was definitely the way to go. The cheesesteak can be a representation for all that is good and evil in America. It's innovation, tastiness, simplicity, and its ability to be made quickly and cheaply earn it credits in my foodie mind. However, it's high demand leads for rude and impatient employees. Its tastiness combined with cheapness comes at the price of whatever harmful carcinogens are bottled up in a can of Cheese Whiz. If eaten every day or every other day the cheesesteak will add to America's growing waistline. The cheesesteak may symbolize America more accurately than the Liberty Bell itself.

He added mushrooms....so unamerican

All American Girl

By now you are probably tired of reading about our first full day in Philadelphia...try living it. After Jim's it was time for a stroll to the river and back to the Alexander Inn for some much needed rest and digestion.

Stay tuned for day 3.........

Philadelphia Day 1: Killadelphia

2011-06-28T17:30:00.000-07:00

For our annual pick-an-interesting-city-in-the-US vacation, we chose Philadelphia. Why Philly you may ask? To eat authentic Philly cheese steaks, to join the millions of tourists who run up the Philadelphia Museum of Art's numerous steps like Rocky did, and to see the Liberty Bell.

Our flight to Philadelphia left at the ungodly time of 6:00 am. I am not a morning person, but somehow I managed to wake myself up at 3:00 am in time to leave for Sacramento. Apparently we should remember to check traffic reports when flying, because we almost missed our flight due to a single lane open on I-5 and an airport shuttle driver who moved herself and the shuttle, at a molasses like speed.

The flight to Houston International was a bit bumpy which left me and my sensitive stomach in knots. Our layover was about 18 seconds too long....that's how long we had until the plane to Philadelphia was going to leave without us. More turbulence and an empty stomach did not make my weary soul feel any better.

We arrived at the Philadelphia International Airport to be greeted by an airport that was falling apart. I immediately used the restroom and noticed that the restroom's ceilings had extensive water damage with peeling paint and mold. There were other disturbing things going on like moisture in between the window panes and various trash from Dunken Donuts and the like, laying around.

Luckily airports are just a temporary stop on a traveler's journey. We quickly found a cab and were on our way to the City of Brotherly Love. Unfortunately along with getting nauseous on airplanes, I get car sick as well. In fact I am a paranoid passenger in general. I often use my imaginary brake when riding with drivers whom I deem unsafe. Because of my paranoia, cab rides are pretty much the worst for me. This cab ride was no exception.

Everything that could possibly be wrong with a cab ride was wrong. The driver feathered the gas like no one's business. The car was a mess...a hot mess. The driver drove 80 mph in a 35 mph zone. He also blasted Lady Gaga's newest song, Edge of Glory and Katy Perry's ET. While I don't mind these songs, the mixture of questionable smells, gas feathering at atrocious speeds, humidity, and blaring female hip hop music, made me want to vomit even more.

Trying to occupy my mind, I gazed out the dirty window. When arriving in Philadelphia from the airport you are first greeted with a skyline of smoke stacks and a haze of smog looming above. If it weren't for the Lady Gaga blasting in my ears, I would of thought I had been transported back in time to the industrial revolution.

After the smoke stacks, you drive through the projects. Projects or not, I needed to get out of the cab with the quickness. Even Danny was uncomfortable with the cab ride. We finally arrived at The Alexander Inn which is located in the Center City area, to find a lovely historic building with air conditioning and a friendly inn keeper greeting us.

Our room was small but tidy and cool, which was all that I needed at that point. The bathroom had been renovated nicely. I appreciated the sign above the single ply toilet paper, explaining why such a lovely hotel would not use double ply.

Alexander Inn

Interesting indeed

Having eaten nothing but a Paleo Kit all day, Danny and I decided the first order of business would be to eat. We decided a gluten filled pizza would satisfy our empty bellies. We used Yelp and found a highly rated pizza place called Little Italy Pizza.

On our walk to Little Italy Pizza I saw a girl wearing a shirt with the Liberty Bell on it. Underneath the cracked bell it said, "Philadelphia, people come here for the crack." I get the joke, however I thought to myself could this be true? I did just glance at a local newspaper that said something about how Philadelphia's well known nickname is Killadelphia....

Pushing my initial impression of Philadelphia out of my mind, I concentrated on something I am really good at: Eating. We arrived at Little Italy Pizza (which is on the edge of Philly's Little Italy) to be greeted by a cool blast of air conditioning. Score one for Little Italy Pizza. Danny asked the pimply faced teenager what the best pizza they had was and he said the margarita pizza. Another man jumped in our conversation and said the best seller was the BBQ chicken ranch pizza. It didn't sound very authentic to me, but we decided to get half margarita, half BBQ chicken ranch and let our taste buds decide.

Half Margarita/ Half BBQ Chicken Ranch...
with a ridiculous amount of Ranch

My instincts were right. The margarita pizza with its fresh mozzarella and basil was perfect. The BBQ chicken ranch was drenched in ranch. It was edible (perhaps because I was starving). Danny and I both agree, the 16 year old knew what he was talking about.

After dinner we decided that since we were vacationing and it felt like we were in the middle of the Amazon jungle, we deserved some ice cream.

No loud radios in Little Italy.

After roaming about for a while, we came across Golosa, a small little chocolate shop that also serves gelato. Gelato is close enough to ice cream, so we went in. We were greeted by a mousy looking girl, who was about my age, wearing cat glasses. Perhaps she was trying to deter people from thinking she was mousy by wearing the cat glasses. She did not fool me.

Hers were more extreme.

When entering Golosa the air conditioner was also on full blast, which I appreciated. The shop seemed kind of, as my mother would say, "hoity toity" but it was just us and the mousy cat lady, so we were kind of committed. There were pictures of zebra's butts on the walls which Danny later named, "Zebras on acid."

Zebras On Acid

We went with a sample order of 4 fancy chocolates and two scoops of gelato each. We ordered a lavender chocolate, aged balsamic vinegar chocolate (per mousy cat lady's recommendation), a hazelnut, and a creamy coffee chocolate. The first two flavor's while unconventional, were quite lovely. Mousy cat lady described them as savory chocolates. The hazelnut and coffee chocolates were more traditionally sweet and very tasty as well. We both got the dark chocolate gelato. For our second scoops, Danny ordered the Dulce de Leche and I tried the Creme Brulee. We both agreed that they were all amazing. For being so hoity toity, Golosa was easy on the pocket book and a nice sweet/savory/cooling destination of yumminess.

Chocolate Heaven

While walking back to our hotel, we happened upon some beautiful neighborhoods. All the streets were lined with trees and all the homes are built with brick. This is what I had imagined Philadelphia to be like. Philadelphians were out running and walking their dogs enjoying the City of Brotherly Love not cowering in their air conditioned apartments, hiding from the city. I decided to give Killadelphia a second chance to impress me....and it did.

She's a brick....house

Some of my favorite homes.

Lacking Excitement

2011-06-14T15:42:00.000-07:00

Killer

I haven't participated in anything exciting in weeks...hence the lack of blog posts.

I did have a recent run in with a 24 hour stomach flu that shook things up a bit.... I will spare you the details.

My dog, Butch, killed my neighbor's bunny. It was the bunny's fault. This riled things up in our household for a few hours. As I was sitting at the computer contemplating the circle of life and preparing to write about Butch v. Bunny, I couldn't stop hearing the rabbit's death squeal of panic, echoing in my head... which is why I will not be reminiscing about the event via world wide web.

My brother graduated from Fuller University, with his Master's in Theology this past weekend. It was nice to see my family and to see my brother in all his pomp and circumstance.

One thing I have been doing that I find exciting and slightly addicting, is attending group classes at Crossfit Excel. I could write multiple blogs about Crossfit and my love/hate relationship with it, but I don't know if people really care how much weight I back squatted the other day, how desperate I am to do a pull up, and how my sternum tried to rip itself in two one day.

In a few days we are going to Philadelphia. I have 3 goals while in the city of brotherly love: Eat as many Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches as possible, run up the same steps that Rocky did, and see the Liberty Bell.

While we are there, I know that many exciting things will occur. Don't you worry, I will blog about them.

A Birthday Blog

2011-05-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

If you are keeping track, add another hatch mark to your keepsake journal folks. As of this Tuesday, I'm another year older.

Last year's birthday celebration

I'm still using my anti wrinkle cream...not sure if it's working. In addition to my wrinkles, I've noticed I'm getting spider veins now. Who gets spider veins in their 20s? Either people who age prematurely or people who are on their feet for 12 hours at a time (one of the less grand aspects of being a nurse).

I've also noticed I'm developing a few more old lady tendencies. For example, I've been frequenting the restaurant Mimi's. What does Mimi's have to do with an advanced age you may ask? Well to start it's decor is ridiculously old lady cute...New Orleansly French Quarter-esque is how I would describe it. Mimi's also has amazing salads and soups ( I don't know if that's an old person thing, I just wanted to throw that in there). Whenever I go there, I find myself not surrounded by my peers, but by an abundance of cute little grandmas. I've discovered that lunching at places that cater to old ladies, such as Mimi's, is to my advantage. You can hear what the person across from you is saying, the booths are cushiony, and the bathrooms are clean. Also, if you order some complicated, "dressing on the side, extra avocado, no cheese" type of item, they get it right....because all of their clientele order this way.

Speaking of hearing at a restaurant, I think my hearing is going....at least in my right ear. I can no longer eavesdrop on the quietest of conversations from across a room. I find myself saying, "What?" quite frequently.

On my nights off work, I've been going to bed at 8:00 pm. 8:00 pm is an 80 year old's bedtime.

I'm also eating half a grapefruit with my breakfast every morning. Grapefruits are an old person fruit. In fact I'm pretty sure my grandma had a grapefruit with her breakfast every morning.

I upped my 401k contributions this year because I am in fact, getting older.

The tried and true sign of ageing is when technology starts to fluster you. I fall into this category. Recently, Danny downloaded Google Chrome to be our new internet browser and tried explaining it's awesomeness to me. I quickly grew weary of learning this new browsing method and switched mine back to the lesser, but more comfortable, Internet Explorer.

Besides the hearing loss and spider veins, getting old isn't so bad. I'm really enjoying my morning grapefruit routine and my retirement funds are looking awfully pretty.

I might even be getting better with age. I can run a 5k, something I couldn't do last year. This year I perfected the art of roasting a whole chicken, something last year in my young naivety, I could not have accomplished. Believe me this is exciting, it takes more than a Betty Crocker cookbook and some poultry seasoning to make a delicious bird.

If running a 5k and perfecting the art of cooking a tasty chicken doesn't make me wiser then I don't know what does. I'm like a fine wine or the jar of homemade sour kraut fermenting in our fridge as we speak....

So bring it on Father Time, me, my 401k, and my half a grapefruit are ready.

March of Dimes

2011-04-29T12:54:00.000-07:00

My silly and slightly premature godson, Ryan.
(Posted with permission from his Mommy)

I really like babies. I like them for many reasons. I like that that are mini versions of us big people (to be honest I like mini things in general ...mini carrots...mini dogs....mini horses etc).

I like that babies don't talk back. Babies don't smoke. Babies don't have bad health habits.

They may cry a little, but it's usually for a reasonable reason such as hunger or poopy pants. I would cry if my pants were poopy too. They also cry when we nurses poke and prod them with needles. I also think I would cry if a nurse poked and prodded me with a needle.

Babies are generous with their love. They pretty much love anyone with milk, a cuddly arm, or a sweet song. Sure they may have a favorite (usually mom or their favorite nurse, who can feed and burp them just right) but in general, they aren't too picky.

Although I wouldn't wish a preterm baby on any mother in the world, I love them so. Their all over peach fuzz (lanugo) creates this uncontrollable sigh deep within my soul. The fact that even the smallest micro, 24 week gestation, infant can grasp his little hand around my pinkie melts my heart....even if it is just a reflex.

For myself, taking care of teeny tiny babies is a dream come true. However, there are times when it is heartbreaking. If these little micro mini human beings could stay inside their moms for even one extra week, it could make the ultimate difference between life and death.

I am walking for the March of Dimes because I love the little babies that I care for and I believe that we can make the ultimate difference.

If you feel like donating to an awesome cause click here: http://www.marchofdimes.com/

Factoid Tuesday

2011-04-26T16:24:00.000-07:00

A few random facts on this fine Tuesday afternoon:

I am sick. A few months ago I told my friend Sumi, that I pretty much never get sick. These are now my famous last words.

My right eye has been twitching for the past 72 hours. I would like it to stop.

After looking at literally thousands of rugs, I have finally found one that I think will work for my newly furnished living room. Costco really is a magical place.

I have some pretty gnarly bruises on my forearms from an intense kettlebell session down at Crossfit Excel. Apparently I need to work on my kettlebell snatch, because bruising is not normal.

Can't wait until it turns black and blue.

Today is my mom's birthday. (Happy Birthday Mom!) It also happens to be my best friends mom's birthday. (Happy Birthday Monique!) We could almost be sisters.

Happy Tuesday to you.

Monterey: A Picture Story

2011-03-23T10:56:00.000-07:00

Creativity has been lacking in my giant head...hence this lonely little blog. I was planning on writing a post about my trip to Monterey with my friend Casie and her son (my godson) Ryan. The plan was to write a hilarious story about how we stayed at this eery 1950's church camp-esque resort, full of roaming molecular biologists, and how Ryan was the only child there.... but like I said, I'm in a creative slump. Maybe I can woo my creativeness back with a picture blog? If I can't come up with the words to describe our silly trip, the pictures will. Supposedly they are worth a thousand words.

I've been going to Monterey with my mom and various friends since I was a preteen. Because of this, there are a few Monterey traditions that I absolutely have to partake in while there. On the way to Monterey, it's mandatory that you stop at 3 places. The first is Split Pea Andersen's for some delightful Danish cuisine and touristy souvenirs. Having a tiny tot with us, this didn't work out. Nap time trumps any sort of Danish delights. The next stop is Casa de Fruta. If you are thinking this is a mecca of amazing fresh picked fruits from the lovely coastal region...you are wrong. It is full of fruit, but I'm pretty sure the grapes are from Chile and the avocados Mexico. We stopped for the Casa de Train, Casa de Ferris Wheel, Casa de Pond, Casa de Diner, Casa de Bathroom, and Casa de Playground. This was the highlight of the trip for Ryan. He got to taste everything on our Casa de Diner plates, look at ducks, and swing on the always thrilling swing set.

Casa de Train...sorry Ryan too many tokens.

Ryan and Casie

The other children were jealous of Ryan's
swinging abilities

Ducks!

We both like ducks.

Oh yes this is awesome!

I may have bought that for him...

Ryan, playing hide and seek with me.

The next mandatory stop is San Juan Bautista to see the chickens cross the road and the mission. Ryan decided he was too antsy to get to Monterey, so we didn't stop there either.

We arrived at the Asilomar resort and were a little confused with what exactly we were getting ourselves into. There were 1950's church camp like cabins spewed across the coast, wandering physicists and molecular biologists, no children in sight (besides Ryan), and a lady walking a mini horse (don't dare call it a pony or you will be yelled at like Casie was...which made me laugh hysterically). The surroundings were beautiful and I have to admit I loved the little bungalow cabiny feel to our inn. We were assigned to the "Stuck Up Inn." Apparently Asilomar's front desk people and their boring beige sweater vests, have a sense of humor.

Ryan, the snob

So stuck up

Wow, Casie, wow

Look who else is stuck up...

Our stuck up room view

Asilomar grounds

We had to wait a bit to check into our 1950's church camp room, so we went down to the beach to explore the tide pools. I love tide pools. I have a bad habit of disturbing mother nature, especially sea anemones and hermit crabs. I can't help it. It's so much fun. Ryan was pretty pumped about the water too. He was so pumped he decided to stick his feet, tennis shoes and all, in the water. I found it funny. Casie was a little distraught because she forgot to bring a second set of shoes. Before you all start judging Mama Casie, she found Ryan's fireman boots from his darling, but random, fireman costume in the trunk of her car. The boots looked lovely on him.

Relaxation: Old Monty Style

Sisters from another mister!

We were watching him...promise

Ryan, the oceanographer

He doesn't like to be dirty.

A real live hermit crab

These two people love the ocean more
than humanly possible

...However they don't love kelp like I do

There I am messing with a hermit crab

He stared for hours

What funny looking sea otters.

Not only a godmother, but a godteacher

My hand makes a nice helmet

Dig in Ryan, dig in

After checking into our room, I decided we needed to go to the cemetery. Sounds a little creepy, but my mom used to take me there when we were little to watch the deer eating the grass. Naturally, I had to share my childhood memories with Casie and Ryan. Well it was a long walk and Ryan fell asleep in his stroller, but it was lovely anyways. We looked at the million dollar homes and decided we wouldn't mind living there. We glanced at the ocean and the sun setting and took in deep breaths of ocean air to purify our central valley pesticide filled lungs. The deer weren't at the cemetery. No need to worry, they were across the street at the golf course.

Cemetery deer

I'll take the house, hold the moose statue.

Deer!

Deer with the light house in the background

A doe!

Dinner time

After our long walk, we went to dinner. Dinner was so delicious there was no time for pictures. Another mandatory stop is the Ice Cream Shoppe in Pacific Grove. The ice cream is good...but it's the decor that really surprises you. Beatles memorabilia is everywhere...along with Afghan rugs for sale with little signs that say the, "Afghanis are our friends," and wireless internet with another note that says, "Wiki Leaks are supported here".

Ice Cream Shoppe

Ryan goes to bed at 8:00 pm, so that's what time we had to be back to Asilomar by. Lights out at the kind of creepy Stuck Up Inn didn't seem to make my $75 bed (we split the cost) anymore comfortable.

The next day I forced Casandra and little Ryan to go to Toasties with me for breakfast. To put a small dent in my high caloric weekend extravaganza, I went on a run along the beach. Turns out no matter what the scenery, running is still horrible. Toasties was delicious as always. Ryan made friends with our neighboring breakfasteers and I spoon fed him maple syrup. That's one of my godmotherly duties.

Only the purest maple syrup for my godson.

Creepy Elephants...one is headless

He's pretty intelligent

Next it was off to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where sea life is treasured. I must admit, I'm more of a land animal girl. Give me a zoo any day over an aquarium, but for my friend Casie... who has ocean water for blood, I made the sacrifice. Ryan loved looking at all the bright colored fish and getting to touch some sea sponges (which he affectionately called, "Ball"). They have a new interactive kiddie area that is full of soft foamy kid friendly things, that Ryan really enjoyed. My favorite part occurred when Casie was off preforming motherly duties and I was left to my own devices. I noticed the trainers bringing out clams and such for the adorable sea otters. Sea Otters are perhaps my favorite sea creature, along with manatees and seals. Once the annoyingly tall teenagers moved out of my way, I got an excellent view of the sweet little otters devouring their lunch.

The best part of the trip was getting to see Monterey, a place I have gone a lot, through a toddler's eyes. Everything was new and exciting. From a Casa de Swing to a sea sponge that looks like a ball, Ryan was definitely the star (starfish?) of the show.

Ryan says, "Fishhhhhh."

Toola, Danny's otter equivalent

Big fish

Kelp and such

The Ice Cream Shoppe guy would like this

Touching a ray

Artsy Fartsy

I also really enjoy jelly fish

Poop Soup: a recipe for energy, fertilizer, and much much more

This is where poop soup comes from

hmmmm

My unoriginal, but hilarious idea

Sea sponges are Ryan's favorite

Otter time

Life lessons at the aquarium

The cutest fish there

Somebody didn't like the splash zone

Just keep swimming

Wish on a fish

The kid play area...looks like I might be having a little
too much fun pretending to be a mermaid.

Ryan's favorite cave

Ball!

My sea horse friend

A sea horse family!

Apparently I'm the greenest person Casie knows.

Colorful fish

Turtle time

Ryan's gift

The Old Monty Bunch!

On the way home we stopped at Split Pea Andersen's for some tasty split pea soup. Ryan mostly smeared it on his mother. I engulfed mine.

This way guys

Pea Wee

Hap Pea

Ryan is disgusted by all the carbs

30 Days of Blogging: Day 30

2011-03-07T09:16:00.000-08:00

day 30 – movies you can watch again and again

It may not be exactly 30 days later, but I plan on finishing what I started. Again, I feel like this is kind of a lame ending to this 30 days of blogging business. I probably feel that way because I don't watch movies over and over again so my answers might be boring to you, my dearest reader.

Julie and Julia: Okay, I've watched it 3 times. It inspires me to cook and dream and wear vintage things.

Beauty and the Beast: Best Disney movie ever. Who doesn't love talking candle sticks and large ruffly dresses.

The Hangover: Funny enough that I've seen it more than once.

30 Days of Blogging: Day 29

2011-03-01T10:28:00.000-08:00

day 29 – favorite TV shows and why you like them

It seems like these past few days 30 Days of Blogging, got a little desperate. I'm not a big TV watcher. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy it...there are just a million other things I would rather be doing. I also don't watch television in bed anymore. This is because of my crazy husband and his theories about how the "Blue Light" from electronics in the bedroom at night interfere with REM sleep or something to that nature. He probably is right though...so I go along with it.

When I am watching TV, this is probably what I am watching:

No Reservations: As I have said before, I like Anthony Bourdain. He eats interesting food and travels to cool places.

Barefoot Contessa: Ina Garten is one of the cooks on the Food Network that really seems to know what she is doing. She is no Rachel Ray and I like that. I also like to look at her beautiful house/kitchen and the little markets she goes to in the Hampton's.

Warriors Basketball Games: I've said it before. I am obsessed with them. I get very sad if I am working when they are playing. Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry are pretty amazing. The Warriors can beat the best team in the NBA and lose to the worst. You have to tune in for more because you just don't know what is going to happen.

The Office: Each character has his/her own set of quirky characteristics. I have come to know and love the quirkiness and the way they interact with each other.

Modern Family: It's not my favorite, but I still DVR it anyways. The different sets of families are pretty funny and remind me of people I know. The endings are always cheesy, but I can handle the 2 minutes of family loviness, if I get to see Mitchell join a flash mob dance.

30 Days of Blogging: Day 28

2011-02-28T19:30:00.000-08:00

day 28- cruise a thesaurus and pick out 10 words you like the sound of

Good as new

I was out of town for a quick little getaway....blogging was not an option. Not because I was away from the internet, but because I am not iPhone savvy. Forgive me for missing a few days.

My thesaurus is from 1962. I'm pretty sure I stole it from my parents. Sorry Mom and Dad. Hopefully the English language hasn't changed that much since the '60s. I am wondering why 30 Days of Blogging didn't ask me to look through the more common place for finding words...a dictionary.

1. Changeableness: I didn't know you could add a "ness" onto the end of any word and it would still be considered a word. Synonym: alterability.

2. Corpulence: portliness

3. Dilapidated: decayed

4. Gewgaw: trinket

5. Hoodwink: hoax

6. Salacious: lewd

7. Pilfer: rob

8. Rowdyism: hoodlumism....again...can you just throw an "ism" on the back of a word and it still be a word?

9. Scurfy: flaky

10: Voracious: ravenous

30 Days of Blogging: Day 27

2011-02-25T17:39:00.000-08:00

day 27- my day job verses my passion

Guy Fieri

First let me preface this by saying...I am sooooooo happy to have a job...especially one that I like. Truthfully, my day job...err.... night job is in most respects awesome. I get to take care of the cutest little patients in the world, work with an amazing group of talented ladies (and a few men) who I am lucky enough to call my friends, and I work 3 nights a week which is considered full time. Pretty great. If I could tweak my job to make it perfect I would work from 11 am to 3 pm, three times a week. I could sleep in and come home in time to take a nap. Of course they would have to pay me like 8 million dollars an hour for that schedule to work out fiscally. Nothing sad would ever occur at my job either. While there are mostly happy positive outcomes, there are things that break my heart.

A wonderful thing about my job is that because of my hours (and i'll admit it, my pay) it allows me to pursue my passions. Travel, food, fun, biking, sleeping, shopping, camping, hiking, running, and crazy headband collections are all made possible because of my job, that I really am passionate about.

So as for my passion, besides tiny baby nursing, I would like to be the next Anthony Bourdain sans chain smoking. I would even take Samatha Brown even though she is kind of annoying. Maybe the next woMAN vs Food gal....I can seriously eat a lot if I feel like it. I'd even be the Diners, Drive ins, and Dives host, Guy Fieri, but no way am I getting that ridiculous hair cut or wearing a flame t shirt. No way.

30 Days of Blogging: Day 26

2011-02-24T15:27:00.000-08:00

day 26- list 10 things that you are thankful for

Since it specifically says "things" and not people, I am excluding you, family and friends, from my list. Don't be sad. I'm thankful for many things. This list is off the top of my head, so don't feel left out (strawberries) if you have been excluded.

1. Bacon

2. Polka dots

3. Headbands

4. Bikes

5. Rivers

6. Disneyland

7. Central Heat and Air

8. Pretty throw pillows

9. Arched windows

10. Shark Vac and Steam Cleaner

30 Days of Blogging: Day 25

2011-02-23T18:05:00.000-08:00

Day 25- what would I find in your bag

No matter how often I clean out my purse, it quickly reverts back to its old messy self. I am glad there isn't a saying similar to the one referring to food, "You are what you eat," about purses. That would make me sad. On any given day these items could change, but for today, these are the items in my purse:

Wallet
Phone
Day Planner
Target receipt from today
Valentine's Day Fresh Choice coupon $5 off any purchase of 2 meals after 5 pm. Expires 2/28/11
Coupon for 3 chances to win a Golden State Warrior Prize Pack
Save Mart receipt from 2/9/11
Bed Bath & Beyond receipt from today
Phoenix Noodle House receipt from 1/16/11
Golden State Warriors vs New York Knicks Ticket from 11/3/10
Google Maps printout for a store my mom and dad found in Modesto that they thought I would be interested in
A phone number scribbled on a piece of paper. I think it's for my doctor.
TJ Maxx receipt from today
I <3 (heart) State Parks Car Decal
Keys
Overly Priced New Balance iPhone Holder for running
Headphones
Ice Breakers Mints
Business Card for my fabulous hair stylist Stacy
4 uncapped pens, one capped pen, and one broken pencil
One empty tube of Chapstick
One full tube of Chapstick
Another Save Mart receipt from 2/15/11
And another from 2/18/11
Safety pin
2 bobby pins
Hair tie
Movie Stub for Eat Pray Love 9/21/10
Compact
Feminine Products
A band aid
Another hair tie
A lip gloss
One Pirate Skull and Cross Bones Earring

I spy with my little eye

Please, don't judge me.

30 Days of Blogging: Day 24

2011-02-22T19:21:00.000-08:00

day 24- post your favorite quote or verse of scripture and why

I'm not a quote person. I rarely remember lines from movies...even if I really like them. My brain just doesn't care enough, I guess. Back in my Sunday school days, I was a champ at memorizing scriptures. Now my championship belt has been handed to my brother. I recently read the following scripture and enjoyed it immensely. So for now, it can be my favorite.

Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.

It's nice to know that there is a plan out there for all of us. It takes some of life's grueling pressure off of us who feel like we need to control everything.

30 Days of Blogging: Day 23

2011-02-21T15:50:00.000-08:00

day 23- something you crave a lot

I crave many things... food and non food items alike. However, if I tallied up all of my cravings one amazing item would prevail: Diet Pepsi.

Nothing compares to popping open an ice cold can of heaven's nectar. The fizzy artificial sweetness is somehow the best tasting drink in the world. I don't know if it is the aspartame or the potassium benzoate, but it keeps me coming back for more.

There are imposters out there. Don't let them fool you. I'm talking to you Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Diet Rite, Diet Sams, and Diet RC Cola. You don't even compare.

There was a slightly sad time in my life when I drank almost a 2 liter of Diet Pepsi a day. Then Danny started this whole healthy living business and things started to change. If it has the word diet in front of it it should be healthy right? I welcomed change in most areas, but giving up Diet Pepsi has always been a struggle. I am now at the point in my long struggle with Diet Pepsi addiction, where I don't have to have one every day. I don't keep it in the house anymore. I have even gone for a few blocks of 30 days without having one. I will admit, every now and then I fall off the wagon, and have a can or two, of the greatest man made drink of all time.

30 Days of Blogging: Day 22

2011-02-20T16:52:00.000-08:00

Day 22- What makes you different

Besides my DNA and fingerprints, I'm not quite sure what makes me different. I'm positive that there are people who have a similar personality and features to me. I'll give it a go though, because DNA isn't a very clever answer.

I told Danny about this blog post and he immediately came up with the same idea that I had. At least I know someone else sees this difference in me too. Danny says my life is one giant paradox.

My personality and interests often contradict each other. I guess this makes me different. I'm a day dreamy imaginative person, but I'm extremely logical. Does that make sense? I like watching sports AND going to musicals. I like to lift weights and go for walks. I love dresses and zip up hoodies. I love the sciences and the arts. I like girlie things, but I'm not a huge fan of pink. I dream about living on a ranch, but also in a condo in the city. I like shiny things, but I don't own a lot of jewelry (by choice). I really care about the quality of life that livestock has, but my favorite food group is meat. I'm a germaphobe at work, but not at home. I like pictures, but scrapbooking annoys me. I get my hair done every 7-8 weeks, but I have gotten a pedicure once in the past 4 years. I like indie rock and mainstream pop. I like cats and dogs. I enjoy reading celebrity gossip and the actual news. I love to hang out with friends, but also love to be alone. I'm not romantic, but I'm sweet. I'm not crafty, but I'm artsy. I love the great outdoors, but I really want to go to New York. I am a nurse, but hate going to the doctor. I work in a place where I take care of some of the fragilest humans on earth, but at home Danny says I am one of the roughest people he knows (funny my mom says this too, when I do her hair and makeup for her).

I don't know if this even makes sense or if it makes me different, but in my day dreamy logical head it does.