Annette

Day 54 - Paleo lunch

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 01:10:00 +0000

Spinach+chicken+ olives+ avocado+bacon+ egg+olive oil+balsamic vinegar = yum.

Day 53 - What do we have here?

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:26:00 +0000

This? Is my gym bag. To take to the gym. Where I'm going later. To work out.

Remember when that was a thing?

Day 52 - working from home

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:59:00 +0000

Anyone who thinks working from home means a relaxed workday has obviously never worked from home.

What it really means is I don't have time to shower or get dressed.

Day 51 (late) Moar Mimi!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:50:00 +0000

Day 50 (late) - Sunday night

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:18:00 +0000

Here the boys are breaking in the new couch.

Day 49 (late) - new phone

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:58:00 +0000

Pictured next to my old phone.

It's awesome so far.

Day 48 (late) - first new cameraphone picture

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:45:00 +0000

Here's the first picture taken with my new phone.

Day 47 - just me

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:16:00 +0000

This was an accident of a picture that was taken just before my battery died on my camera.

Or I broke the camera with my face, whatever.

Day 46 (late) oops

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 23:49:00 +0000

So I didn't actually take this picture yesterday, because I totally forgot. But a repeat of this scene did happen. This is Casey having a Moscow Mule at Liberty on the Rocks.

Day 45 - new couch

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:40:00 +0000

Here's the new couch. (With Nala in the background.)

Day 44 (late) - old couch

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:37:00 +0000

This is Casey's old couch in our basement. Which was first his parents' old couch. It served us very well. Now it's time to move on.

Mimi will be sad though.

Day 43 - Are you a success?

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:18:00 +0000

This is the latest cover of a magazine that was on my coffee table until last night. Casey threw it away for me before I read it. Knowing that I never live up to my own expectations of myself we both understand that it's better for me to not go there. At 37, I'm not sure it's a good or bad thing that I don't always measure up to my own standards; sometimes it pushes me to do better, sometimes it makes me feel like shit. But it's always there.

Day 42 - Nala

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 01:21:00 +0000

I felt that Nala was woefully underrepresented in this project.

Day 41 - paleo granola

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:07:00 +0000

Making this tonight. The house smells fantastic. I can't wait to eat it with some unsweetened almond milk in the morning.

Day 40 - V-day gift

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:23:00 +0000

This was in the mail today from Candace. What a great surprise! Yay!

Day 39 (late) - dinner and a show

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:21:00 +0000

Last night I took Casey to see West Side Story at the Des Moines Civic Center. It was a great show, as expected.

But I think the best part of the evening was dinner before, at 801 Chop House. I've had drinks and appetizers there before but never a meal. I'd say ours last night is in my top 10 best mealsof all time. We started out with cocktails (martinis for me of course, rusty nails for Casey) and the carpaccio appetizer. I know that it's raw beef, but I like anything with capers and olive oil. There was also aged parmesean cheese, which isn't strictly paleo, although I've heard some arguments about aged cheese.

Not pictured was our salad course. Casey got a wedge salad and I had their house salad, which included roasted pork belly and a poached egg. The pork belly could've been crispier and I'd prefer a runnier egg, but still the salad was great.

Our dinner is pictured below. We shared sides of sauteed crimini mushrooms and garlic mashed potatoes. Surely the latter had cream, but since we were already indulging, it didn't make much difference. I don't think either of us ate more than a few bites of either. Casey ordered a ribeye and I had a NY strip (my new favorite) done Oscar style - which is topped with crab meat and Bearnaise sauce. Hands down the best steak I ever ate!

Service was great, as I'd expect from a place like this. They've won multiple Wine Spectator awards; their wine list is impressive and huge. I know the pictures are blurry; it's very dark and intimate in the restaurant. If you're ever in Des Moines and want a special meal out, this place would be my recommendation. On Sundays they have a prix fixe menu, which makes it more affordable too.

Day 38 (late) disappointment

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:36:00 +0000

I grabbed a gorgeous DKNY sweater from the clearance rack Tuesday evening. And was totally disappointed when I found out it was clearly mis-sized.

Day 37 (late) pudding!

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:35:00 +0000

This is chocolate pudding I made on Monday night. It's made from avocados. I know! It's totally delicious and more like Nutella than pudding. Yum!

Day 36 (late) - game watching

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:59:00 +0000

Here the boys are watching the Super Bowl. I caught about 5 minutes myself, opting instead to watch Bridget Jones's Diary.

Day 35 (late) finally

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:55:00 +0000

Casey's been waiting since last spring to use the snow blower. That's why I'm posting multiple pictures. I think he was kind of disappointed that it only took about 15 minutes to do the entire drive and sidewalk.

Day 34 (late) - laying in supplies

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:16:00 +0000

Casey and I did all of our grocery shopping and errand running on Friday night, in preparation for Saturday's snow. It seemed pretty annoying at the time, but turned out to be way worth it the next day.

This was taken after most of the stuff was put away. Here it looks like we just bought snacks and alcohol which wasn't the case. Promise.

I also have pictures for Saturday through yesterday. I just haven't uploaded them yet.

Day 33 - Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:52:00 +0000

For 2012. Here goes.

1. I will improve my health and fitness.
I've been listing this one last for some time and decided it’s time to put it first. Maybe there I will do something about it. I’m going to continue down the paleo path. I’ve been exercising 4-5 times per week and paleo doesn’t ask for more than that. I’ll focus on strength, yoga and core work, and maybe some running. Maybe not. I’m totally counting it as a workout when I play Just Dance for an hour. I’m not signing up for any athletic events months in advance, then panicking and cram-training and hurting myself. I already started going to bed earlier (and getting up earlier) thanks to necessary morning phone calls with coworkers in India. I’m going to get blackout curtains for my room and average seven hours of sleep each night. I’m going to put less crap on my body. What’s the point of clean eating when I smother my skin with 75 ingredients I can’t pronounce?

2. I will make my mental health a priority.
I'm not insane or depressed on anything; I'm just focusing on stuff that makes me extra happy. All that stuff above should help with this. I’m going to get massages regularly; I already had two in January. I’m going to have dates with my girlfriends, a trip to Vegas to see Candace, walks with Sarah, and Dani’s birthday celebration in Chicago. I’m going to visit my Dad and stepmom in Reno. Casey and I will go somewhere for our 5th anniversary. I’m going to move the vegetable garden and learn how to remodel a bathroom. I’m going to probably continue sucking at golf. I’m going to make some digital scrapbooks, and some knitted gifts this year. I’m going to sew some pillows for the new couch. I’m going to get 75% of the way through the piano book on which I’m currently working. I’m going to do some volunteer work, possibly doggie rescue this year. Oh, and this picture/blogging thing.

3. I will continue to have a fantastic marriage.
Casey and I will celebrate our 5th anniversary. I will continue to do big, sexy hair for date nights. We’ve already enacted a plan to have more quality time together. And come to think of it, eating paleo together has been good for us. He does all the research so I don’t have to and he totally cooks more, because I have a somewhat irrational fear of setting my face on fire when I use a grill.

4. Caelen and I will have more fun together.
I’m pretty good at planned grand gestures of fun. I’m less good about the spontaneous kinds of fun. And when I am in a spontaneously fun mood, it expresses itself in a good natured ribbing and silly sarcasm, which is fun for me, but less so for others. I need to find a way to have fun on a smaller scale and more often. I started picking Caelen up from school a couple days a week so we have some alone time together before Casey gets home and I’ve been surprising him with treats in his lunchbox some days, but I’m sure there’s more I could do. I will figure it out.

5. I will demonstrate that my extended family and my friends are important to me.
Some of the mental health stuff gets repeated here. I’m going to have dates with my girlfriends, a trip to Vegas to see Candace, walks with Sarah, and Dani’s birthday celebration in Chicago. I’m going to visit my Dad and stepmom in Reno. I’m going to do a big awesome Christmas at my place and my mom is going to be there and we’ll even go to church on Christmas Eve.

6. I will be awesome at my job.
I thought about putting this higher up, but if I learned anything from Fight Club, it's that I am not my job. However, I 110% love my new job. It's pretty much a perfect fit at a fantastic company. It makes me want to be awesome at it. Previously, I often managed to be good at a job without really trying. I'm totally going to try now. For those of you who know me, I'm in the office by 7am, so clearly I must love it!

7. I am a patriot.
I already volunteered at the caucus and I’m going to be a county delegate for the GOP. I may catch some of the Libertarian National Convention, if I can get into events without changing my party registration.

Ok, I didn't take this picture today. But I totally took it, and it's of a goal so, whatever.

Day 32 (late) At the doctor

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:36:00 +0000

I went to the doctor yesterday. I've had a rash on my eyelids (yes, just my eyelids) for a month now. It finally drove me crazy enough to do something about it.

I already feel better.

Day 31 - Be Mine?

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 02:27:00 +0000

These are the Valentine's I'm sending. It sort of seems like a lot.

Day 30 - (late) new backpack

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 02:21:00 +0000

I carried my new laptop bag for the first time. I previously used a roller bag, but all the cool kids have these so I thought I'd give it a try. It's much easier to lug around the skywalk than the roller. A++.