Fathers Day Weekend

Driving to Corpus takes a LONG time. But this weekend it was well worth it. We got to drive down on Friday and spend time with Nani and Baba. Baba went to lunch with us for Fathers Day on Saturday. The infection in his leg is back but is being treated with antibiotics again. He is still a bit out of it but hopefully on the road to recovery. We were able to see Lindsey and her guy Todd, and go to dinner with Julie and Andrew from work too. All while Baba had gone to bed.

Sunday we had lunch with Baba (Whataburger) and set out on the road. I should mention here that Baba REALLY loves Whataburger. Its amazing how much he can eat there and it doesn't seem to get old. The highlight of his Whataburger experience is the Fried Lemon Pie. I know he shouldn't have it probably but he loves it so much its hard to say no. It truly was a road trip being that we stopped at Mom and Pops to give Pop his Fathers day goodies before heading on to the Foys. We had a great time hanging out for a bit and having some grilled Burgers with Jim, Mary, Mike and the Uncles. Lola had a heck of a time - she thought that all those people were there for her as usual. Leigh, Jay's Aunt, let her sit on her lap and she was happy as a clam. (Are clams happy? Why? They are invertebrates.) We got home late but happy that we had been able to see so much of our family - and Dads - in one day.

By the way - I am continuing to to move towards 5K from my current semi-couch potato position. So far I am only walking and not running but let me tell you this - IT IS HOT. And I know that it will only get hotter and hotter as the summer progresses. By the end of this week I am supposed to be running for 3 minutes and walking 27... we'll see.

Couch Potato to 5K

I have officially begun my journey from Couch Potato to being able to run, actually run, a 5K.
That is the name of the training plan my dh found for me. At first I was a little offended but then quickly realized its true. The first night was actually a blessing, an affirmation that I am doing something good. The weather was nice. Such a simple thing but I expected it to be about 124 degrees and miserable and God gave me a beautiful, sunny, breezy evening to walk in. So I am not running yet, just walking so far, but I will be running like Phoebe around our neighborhood soon. You see, there are a couple of reasons why I have never really liked to run. I mean never... even when I was a kid. One is that its hard. I mean really not fun. The other is that I look like a moron when I run. The third has been added since my "days of blossoming"... certain attributes that make running a bit uncomfy. I'm working through all 3 in an effort to become more healthy. I'll keep updates here to let you know how its going.

Now as for my recipes I mentioned yesterday, the Chicken Salad is awesome. Its a triumph to be admired by chicken salads everywhere. The Gazpacho leaves something to be desired. Its ok. Its very veggie-ish as good gazpacho should be, but I didn't quite hit the mark. Jay hasn't tried it yet but I think that when he does, he'll be somewhat less than enthused. Oh well, they cant all be fabulous.

Productive Sunday

I love productive Sunday afternoons. They have to be the perfect blend of relaxing and getting stuff done. I was able to take a fantastic 3 hour nap! I went to the grocery store then came home and cooked meals to last us through the week. I made chicken salad and gazpacho soup from my WW cookbook that are awesome! Jay is not too sure about the gazpacho, so I'll let you know how that goes over, but I think its swell. I hope everyone had a good weekend!

Got New Hair Lt. Dan!

I got my hair cut and colored again. Its dark and I have lots of bangs. Right now I think that I look like I am wearing a wig. I think its too dark. I'll post a picture later today for some honest feedback.

Besides that Baba is doing better all the time. I am concerned about the care he is recieving so please keep him in your prayers. He has lost a lot of weight - 25 lbs in the last month - so also pray that he gets his strenght and weight back to normal.

I havent cooked lately but Jay did make the most scrumptous wheat pasta salad this weekend while I was visiting Nani and Baba. I got to eat some last night and I was most impressed. I'll get his recipe from him and post it.

Buffalo Wings

I love Buffalo Wings. Ok, they are really chicken wings fried then dipped in sauce but everyone already knows that. What I hate, however, are bones. That's why this recipe is so genius. I wish I could say that it was my idea but it isn't. I got it from my friend Kim. Its really good, a definite crowd pleaser, but in no way healthy. I made it for the 2 Memorial Day bar-b-que's this weekend that we went to instead of a healthy option.

Buffalo Wing Dip

1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce
1/2 cup chunky bleu cheese dressing
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 pkg cream cheese
1 lg chicken breast

Mix wing sauce, cream cheese, bleu cheese dressing, and cheddar cheese in a bowl. Chop up the chicken breast into chunks and boil. After cooked, chop chicken and stir it into mixture. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until bubbly. Then add another 1/2 cup of cheddar and put back in oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melty.

Its pretty awesome... I add extra chicken and a little extra bleu cheese dressing and wing sauce if I'm making it for a lot of people. Serve it with tortilla chips.

Memorial Day was really fun this year. I got to swim twice. That is great considering I don't think that I swam last summer at all. I am very sunburned right now. I think this all means this is going to be a really good summer. Its about time! :)

Recipe

I dont have a recipe. I don't even have any groceries. I am planning on trying a dip from my cook book for Jayme and Kevins Bar-b-que this weekend. I'll post that and let you know how it turned out. Baba is getting better, slowly but surely.

Beach

Footprints

Ocean Suds

Tiny Dunes

Ripples

Afternoon

These are some of my beach pictures. I love the beach. I cant believe how I took it for granted when I lived in Corpus. I went out for about 30 minutes in the evening after a day at the hospital and took these. Hope you like them!