Moloka'i

By Alan Brennert
What a phenomenal book - it was sooo good. I also think it would make an excellent beach read - since that season is upon us. It was such a page turner there were a few times I intended to put it down and 25 pages later I remembered I was supposed to stop reading. Those are my favorite kinds of books :)

The book is about Hawaii from the turn of the century onward and leprosy, if I had to put the book into a ridiculously small nutshell. Since Hawaii is such a remote and removed cluster of islands, Hawaiians were very susceptible to diseases, not having exposure to them all along like bigger countries. So they were particularly hard-hit at the turn of the century with leprosy, and their government's answer was to quarantine the lepers on an island - Moloka'i. The story follows Rachel's journey as a young girl shipped off to Moloka'i and the relationships she forms ... it's so vast and so well told. It was very much a book you get enveloped in and don't want to end. Though I've never been to Hawaii myself, I felt like I could see the places, and it would be an even cooler book if you have visited Hawaii!

I don't have many deep insights at this time, I just was very fulfilled by reading this book. The writing was captivating and story moved really fast. It also walked that fine line between being absolutely heart-wrenchingly sad, but also at the same time really full of hope and wonderful relationships and characters. Love it!

Something fun for this weekend - if you're in the area :)

So, my mom is hosting an Longaberger Baskets Open House this weekend. She sold them for most of my childhood, so she's really passionate about the company and products :) They're not nearly as big here in NC as they were back in PA, so I think she's hoping to spread the word a little and expose some new customers to the products. If you've never experienced Longaberger, it's definitely worth checking out in my opinion. It's a good American company and they sell through home shows. They're high quality products and they can accommodate many different decorating styles (ie - they're not just for country living anymore, folks.) And if baskets aren't your thing, they have lots of pottery and accessories.

And here's the world's largest basket, AKA the home office in Dresden, Ohio. I was there, but way before I had a digital camera ;)

So that's my shout-out! RSVP if you can come, I omitted the address so weird stalkers couldn't come to the Open House. They're not invited. :)

Whether you’ve never seen them before, or it’s been a while, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see the new face of Longaberger!
Where – Home of Tammy Ebert, Independent Branch Leader (Cary NC)

When – Friday , May 30 – 10 am – 3 pm

Saturday, May 31 10 am – 2 pm

What – Stop and Shop, Refreshments, Last chance for May specials, first chance for June, previews of upcoming products, cash and carry on over 50 items, all under $30, many at sale prices and some no longer available. Great gift ideas! Product displays!

The first 50 people to RSVP by May 29 will receive a door prize!

(tambask@aol.com)

Enter the drawing for hostess benefits on Wish List/feature flyer orders placed during the event, phone in and private appointment orders included.

Bring a Friend!

Cash and Carry products include travel mugs, latte mugs, loaf dishes, candle plates, tv time baskets, desk pal baskets, spring baskets, plus many more!

LOL! There can only be one!

For your viewing pleasure... I think all ends of the spectrum might be able to appreciate this. Well, I do at least!

Grilled Pizza

One of our fave traditions of summer! We picked it up from Scott's family and his mom even made this handy "How To" webpage with step by step instructions and pictures too! That's what's on the menu for tonight!

It's hard to itemize a "recipe" - the more important part is the execution. The best way to do it is to have a helper - it's a perfect dinner to make as a couple or with another couple.

Grilled Pizza
Ingredients (for each pizza)
1 ball of dough - I really like using Trader Joe's - either the herby garlic or just plain. You can sometimes get dough from pizza shops as well... :) Or, oh yeah, you can make your own!
Cheese
Sauce
Toppings - I like to stick to basics in the topping department, but we have made a killer buffalo/ranch chicken pizza.

Directions:
Roll out the dough and brush with olive oil liberally. Place on a greased cookie sheet and take out to the grill. With a helper, put it on the grill. When the first side is toasted a little, take off the grill and place grilled side down on cookie sheet. Take inside and brush uncooked side w/ oil. THEN flip it over and place toppings on the grilled side. Put it back out on the grill for a little until the toppings are melted.

I have also found it's usually best to make two... so you get lots of leftovers :)

Outer Banks Vacay Photos

And here's a slide show of all the OBX pictures! Family - I have all of these pictures uploaded to Photobucket.com, and here's the link to the album. You can buy prints from this site if you're interested. :)

Scott & I had so much fun at the beach, and as much as I tried to put these pics in some sort of order, they're kind of just grouped by "Hanging out by the pool" or "Beach"...etc. :) Enjoy!

Italy Slideshow

Here are our Italy pics in an easy-to-view format (I know the link to the photobucket album is all out of order and stuff...) It follows our journey through Florence, Venice, and finally Rome. Enjoy :)

Low-Key Saturday Night

So, unforch Scott is down with a cold. I think he was going-going-going so much the past week and with all the travel and stress of interviewing it all caught up with him and a cold is the manifestation of it. He's out of it. We were supposed to go over to Casey & Amy's tonight but unforch, not gonna happen.

Well, so far the holiday weekend has been beautiful here in NC. I went for a 4.5 mile run this afternoon and though it was a little warmer than I like to run in, it was def doable, and I wasn't that person you pass when it's 90 and humid that ppl in their cars were like "What the heck is that person doing outside, no less RUNNING in this heat???!" I don't doubt they were exclaiming about me, but hopefully it wasn't about that. I have started running w/ a bottle of water as well... out of necessity. I also noticed a real change in the energy I'm able to maintain throughout the run as well if I stay hydrated.

I think I decided that my next big challenge is a half marathon this fall. I am going to wait until the whole "where will we be in the next phase of our life" decision is made until I decide which one, but I really think I can do it and when I have something bigger to strive for, it gives me direction and keeps me on track training wise. After the 5k in two weeks, I'm going to get new running shoes so I can stop using the crappy Nikes as an excuse for all the aches and pains. I'm pumped for that too.

Also, I think I've heard that to establish a routine, you need to do something for 2 weeks. Well, starting Monday (err, prob Tuesday) I'm going to establish the Workout Before Work routine. I figure the Komen race is in 2 weeks, and I for sure need to keep up my running regimen until then, and why not? With the heat, I really think it's the most realistic time for me to run. And it is cool because it gives me my evenings to do fun things with Scott or make fun foods. Or read. Or do nothing, and do I love freedom? I'm American, duh.

Alright, on to chilling with my man, reading and hopefully watching some movies. :)

Almost the Weekend

So, I'm almost done w/ my first week at my new job. Almost. And in honor of that IBM has decided to take Monday off! Can you believe it?

Man, it's like a ghost town today though! Between people working from home and taking off to make a long weekend even longer, nothing is going on. Which I want to make perfectly clear, I am NOT complaining at all about it :)

Things improved a lot between my last work related entry and today - my mentor was away at a class for two days and returned and has been super helpful. I generally feel like I can handle this. Most of the time. :) I have a ton to learn, but that's the point of all of this so I'm down with that.

So, what's up for this weekend? We're still in final negotiations with timing of it all, but I know we'll have some pizza with my parents and hang out w/ Casey & Amy to celebrate Casey's b-day. It'll be nice to spend a weekend largely at home too, to get caught up on cleaning up and make some fun food. All the traveling - btwn the beach and then Scott going to Boston - has been rough. Some QT will be nice. And the forecast looks gorg, so maybe we can visit the pool or the tennis courts.

And I have got to get my running game on - no excuses. And I fully intend to take a break after the 5k. Hear that body? Just 2 more weeks until you can be lazy. Stick with me, ok?

Jamie's "Use Up the Ingredients" Ziti & Super Creative Italian Bread

Scott's on his way home from the interview in Boston and I'm picking him up in about 2 hours from the airport. I was a good girl and ran this morning before work, and had fun making dinner for 1 and reading Moloka'i (LOVE it so far!)

So, for fun, here's what I made for dinner, which I ate in the living room while watching reruns of The Office. How I love being a grown up sometimes!

Jamie's "Use Up the Ingredients" Ziti
Noodles, cooked
Sauce
1/2 of an onion, diced up as small as possible
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
Cheese (cottage, ricotta, mozzarella, parm...whatever ya got)
1/2 lb of meat (either ground turkey or beef, you get the picture right?)

Directions:
Boil the noodles. Mix up the rest of the stuff in a casserole dish you think will fit all the stuff. Then mix in the noodles. Then put cheese on top and bake if for a 1/2 hour or so, until it looks delicious. :)

Tonight I used 1/2 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 lb grilled chicken breasts ground up, whole wheat penne and mozzarella. I love when I have leftover cottage cheese or ricotta, bc that makes it even more yummy. I've been known to throw in some spinach too... but no such luck tonight.

Jamie's "Super Creative" Italian Bread
1 thing of Pillsbury Italian loaf
Olive oil
Italian spices
Parm cheese

Directions:
Get bread dough prepared according to the directions on packet. In a small bowl, mix up some olive oil and spices. W/ a brush, brush it all over the loaf and bake at 350 for 25 min until golden brown and wonderful. :)

OMG

So today was semi-rough at work. The first week is not going to be fun, I have to get that through my head. I had some general things to "read up on" and "check out"... but it's so hard to focus! Everyone knows you don't have any work to do so whenever anything comes up they're like "read this!" Eh well... I'm not complaining. I just can't wait to have a semi-clue as to what's going on and what some of this stuff means. But, highlight of the day, I found a department called OMG. I LOL'ed for like 5 mins. Don't ask me what it stands for - it's not Oh My God though! ;)

Talked to Scott and he seems really excited about the Boston opportunity. He's driving around some neighboring towns as I type, trying to get a feel for the area. He said they're cute and have statues of Paul Revere. They do like patriots up there, don't they :) I don't really know *why*, but in my head the Boston area sounds fabulous and though the climate would be a maaaajor change, I think I could handle it. It's def prettier than the DC area. We'll see if they show him the money and go from there, I suppose. The interview in NC yesterday afternoon also went really well, though it's still up in the air a little bit whether they're gonna actually offer a job or if everyone is just doing all these interviews for their health. We've heard good things through the grapevine, but for real, an offer letter would be fabulous, if you don't mind. :)

And my last topic to ponder is I'm totally thrown off by this new commute/work schedule that I haven't worked out since Friday! Woops. Seeing that I just signed up for the Komen Race for the Cure on 6/14, I need to correct that, right!? I'm not worried, I think I just need to reassess what I plan to do when, you know? Like today, I left work at 4:45 and arrived at our door at 5:30. Yes folks, 45 min to travel 6 stupid miles on stupid Davis Dr. I was sooo annoyed. And I had intended to go to the gym after work, but couldn't really rationalize driving past home to be in the car for at least another 1/2 hour. Sigh. I guess working out in the morning might come back in style? Or maybe I should ante up for a cooler gym that is closer to work and/or home? I don't feel good when I don't go to the gym or run, so I have to do something. Some things to think about :)