En Route on the Fourth

I realize I have some recent things to recap on, but I thought I would write about my current happenings first. Yesterday was my last day of class, which I plan to write about another day. So my parents and I decided to head back to Michigan today. Iivana has been a very good girl in my parent's van. Of course, she thinks she owns the place and is sitting in the captain's chair.

She took many naps through out to journey (so far.) Hopefully she continues to behave during the long ride tomorrow too.

We stopped in Oklahoma to have lunch at a park. Afterwards we started to hear a rattling sound that one of the tires was making. We kept going but it seemed to get worse. So we pulled off to the side of the road and my mom noticed a lug nut was missing. We drove a little further to a visitor's center in Missouri and asked where we could take the van. Of course, today is a holiday so we weren't sure if anything would be open. We started to make our way to Walmart, but came across a Goodyear Tire first and pulled in there. It was 4:50 and they were going to close at 5:00! We were very thankful to make it there safely, because when we arrived we had noticed another nut was missing.

Unfortunately, they were not able to fix it in 10 minutes. So we left the van there for the night and had to halt our travels for the day. The manager drove us to a hotel, so we are spending the night in Joplin. Do you notice Iivana in the tire store?  I think she is still trying to figure out what in the world is going on.

Happy Fourth of July to all! Safe travels to everyone.

Painting with a Twist

Since I am in my final semester for my master's degree, I have to pass comprehensive exams. I received the questions on Friday and have three weeks to answer them. I spent most of my weekend writing and researching, but I did find some opportunities to have some fun.

On Friday I went to Painting with a Twist with a friend from class.

We enjoyed some wine while we painted.

Our masterpiece was a Starry Night in San Antonio.

The class was fantastic and they walk you through how to do everything. I definitely want to do it again. There are some in Michigan, so if anyone wants to go with me when I'm home.

Justin already committed to going sometime with me down here and I have to go with Genevieve again, because it will be my turn to bring the wine. So there will be more art work classes in my future.

My posts lately haven't been too much about eating gluten free. So I thought I would throw this gem in this post. I used up a Groupon to the Little Aussie Bakery this weekend that was about to expire. I bought some cranberry bread that I haven't tried before.

I don't think I've eaten this much bread in a long time! I devoured half the loaf and really didn't want to admit it. At least I have been working out routinely.

Start of Summer

My husband is thoughtful and warms my heart. He sent me these peonies to celebrate then end of another successful school year. Aren't they just beautiful! The end of the school year also means we are half way through the deployment. It is all downhill from here.

I also celebrated the end of the school year by purchasing a new pair of florescent orange Tom's.

Since my summer off from work has been in swing for 2 weeks, it actually means I've been taking classes for two weeks. I am participating in the San Antonio Writing Project (SAWP) and it is amazingly fantastic. I already gave an 1 hour and 1/2 demonstration about Pre-writing. I've created a video log to document a day at SAWP.  Of course, I've also had the opportunity to write! While I've been a little distracted from my blog, I've been trying other genres of writing. I think I am going to post my first narrative in the days to come.

Yes, I talk with my hands.

Last night, Iivana discovered a scorpion! I saw her playing with something and knew it was some sort of bug. Upon further investigation, I screamed and shooed her away when I saw it was a scorpion. Unsure what to do, I of course snapped a picture. Then I decided I needed to take action. I grabbed the broom, opened the door, and swept it outside! Hopefully there aren't any more in the house. Believe me, I am definitely watching everywhere I step.

I freaked out at Iivana because I didn't need another wound to heal! Of course, she is fine. Plus, her back paw is almost healed all the way. 

Houston

My stress level has been reduced dramatically. Iivana's bite wound is healing. There is still no hair but it is no longer red and has scabbed over. The best part is that she doesn't have to wear that dreadful e-collar. Friday was my last day of school with my students. I have to work tomorrow to finish up paper work and pack up final items in my classroom. Last weekend I enjoyed a weekend away in Houston, which was much needed and filled with fun in the sun. As usual, the majority of my photos do not include people, I'm still working on that. But here are some of the highlights!

Infused tequila drinks at El Gran Malo which are so fresh and amazing. I can't wait to go back to this place some day for more and I usually don't like tequila. 

I ordered the blueberry jalapeno cilantro margarita! It was spicy but sweet at the same time.

Dinner at Taco Milagro which the majority of the menu is naturally gluten free. Rachel and I each ordered something and split them. Below are chicken tamales.

Here are the spinach and cheese enchiladas. I preferred these over the tamales, but both were scrumptious and filling.

We stopped at The Hay Merchant which had too many beers to count. But there were also a few ciders, so I wasn't left out.

We drove to Galveston to spend a day at East beach.

While it was cloudy, it was still a sweltering day.

Before we left the beach area, we stopped to eat some crawfish. It was my first experience eating the sea creature and was nervous. They required lots of work, but I actually did enjoy it. I know my husband is a little jealous that I ate some fresh boiled crawfish.

Finally a shot with people! Sangria at Pub Fiction

We also stopped at Spec's and I found Woodchuck's Farmhouse Select.

The label

Thank you Rachel, Amanda, and Ashley for a much needed get-away weekend! Since last weekend wore me out, it's been nice to relax this weekend. I also start my last semester of classes for my masters tomorrow.

Easter Basket, Cakes & More

My husband is so thoughtful and kind. We have a tradition of making and hiding Easter baskets for each other. He hid one for me before he was deployed! I was talking to him on Skype a few nights ago and he told me to look for it upstairs. I'm the worst and finding baskets, but I found it hidden in the linen closet. He's that good at hiding that it was hidden there for a whole month. 

I also had a fabulous weekend in Wisconsin with my family. I surprised my mom and dad with the help of my sisters. Both my parents and my uncle all turned 60 in March or April, so we celebrated that on Good Friday. 

Here they are with their cake. Also note Jett photo bombed the picture.

The sheet birthday cake was from Costco, which of course was not GF so Kristen bought a gluten free one for us. She bought it from a bakery in Chicago that specializes in GF products.

It was moist and delicious. There was no after taste and it was very filling. Every time I had a piece I could barely finish it; it must have been from all the big meals I ate.

Speaking of big meals, on Friday my grandma and grandpa had my cousins, aunts, and uncles over for fish. Kristen again was awesome and brought some fish for us that was gluten free. We picked up some waffle fries and prepared our own GF meal. I really enjoyed the fish and didn't remember to take a picture until I only had one piece left. (We did almost have to share mine, but I won't go there. Let's just say there was a spilling disaster.)

Saturday I was able to spend time at the park with my adorable niece and nephew. I had two coats (and looked super stylish) because I wasn't sure how cold I would be. My Texas blood has thinned out and even 55 can feel cold to me. (You can sort of see my Peeps shirt underneath.)

I snapped a few pictures of my family balancing across a zig-zag shape of planks, my mom is seen below. Even my grandpa tried to cross. It was comical but fun to watch everyone try.

Easter with my three sisters...loved seeing each one of them!

After several attempts we got a picture with Jett and Maren somewhat looking at the camera. This one includes the whole fam (of course minus my hubby) + grandma & grandpa.

The only bad part of my trip was that my flight was canceled yesterday! I couldn't get one rescheduled until today. Luckily I didn't have to work today otherwise I would have been way more upset. My sister, Kristen, was a life saver again and let me stay with her in Chicago last night so I could fly out from there instead of Milwaukee. There were more flight options from Chicago, so I'd be able to get home sooner to pick up my Vana!

My baby is always so sleepy when I pick her up after a weekend of boarding.

Quick Trip

Last weekend we were able to go to Michigan for the weekend. We were able to see tons of people; if only we could've had longer conversations with everyone. Justin set up a tacos and euchre tournament on Saturday night at his parent's house. I feel gracious for everyone who thought of me and brought GF treats! My mom made GF chocolate chip cookies, my sister Jill made GF brownies, my sister Kristen made regular GF Rice Krispie treats, Amanda made gourmet GF Rice Krispie treats, and Ashlee made GF cannolis! Not to mention Justin's parents had the house stocked with loads of GF foods from frozen waffles to bars and even marshmallows.

Unfortunately I didn't take many photos. I had told Justin that I was going to take many pictures, but I seemed to have gotten caught up too much into cards, desserts, and conversations.

Amanda's GF Rice Krispies: half are made with caramel and chocolate while the other half consisted of peanut butter and chocolate. I loved her plating of them too.

O-M-G GF cannolis!! They were so delicious that I ate two. (I would've ate more but everyone else gobbled them up too.) While I was eating my second one, I was completely distracted during cards and probably cost my partner a few points.

I was able to get one picture of actual people (not just food.) Hmm...here's wishing I had more people photos.

I was also able to spend time with my niece, Maren and my nephew, Jett. We bought Maren some Tom's for her birthday, which is this month. (You know how much I love my Tom's. I'm hoping to get some of the new ballet flats soon.)

In the summer I posted about my favorite Michigan things. Thinking about this weekend trip, I was able to repeat 4 out of my 5 favorite things! I saw family, drank Faygo courtesy of Aunt Sally, ate too many desserts, and bought more Jenna Kator purses!

I was on the hunt for the Peninsula Drive purse. Prior to our trip, I noticed it was sold out online and wasn't sure if I'd be able to find one. I had told Justin my one request of the weekend was to go to the boutique in Monroe that sells the Jenna Kator handbags. I wanted to look at them for myself because things often look slightly different in person. When we pulled up to Belle Fleur, it was closed! I was disappointed because I had checked the store hours earlier. However, there was a phone number on the sign, so I gave it a ring. The store owner said that January is a slow month and they were at shows so they decided to close for the weekend. But she was so kind to drive to the store to see if the Peninsula was in stock. Fifteen minutes later she called me and they had one more in stock! So Justin and I went back to the store and were able to look around at everything.

The Peninsula Drive

I began to fall in love with more of the purses as I browsed the store. With a little encouragement from my hubby, I decided to purchase another one! I also bought the Huntington in brown.

Like our Detroit rug that I scored an awesome deal on from a Groupon? I figured it was a fitting place to take photos of my new handbags since they are Michigan inspired and designed.

If only weekends were longer...

In a Funk

I've managed to not update for 3 weeks, despite the fact that I haven't started classes again yet and have only been back to work for two weeks. I haven't been that busy; I guess I've been enjoying my lighter schedule. But I have been in a bit of a funk. I can't explain it, but I haven't been completely motivated for work, working out, or updating. But I think it's time to get out of this funk!

Here is a recap of my two week break for Christmas and New Years.

Justin and I saw the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

My mom and dad came down for a week! We had so much fun; here we are at one of the wineries in the hill country.

Justin and I at another winery.

We also went to the Alamo Bowl, where we watched RGIII play and I saw Lee Greenwood sign live!

Before the game, we fueled up on burgers at El Colegio, the bar at the Omni where Las Canarias is located. El Colegio uses the same kitchen as Las Canarias, so they were able to accommodate me with a GF burger.

My plate...Kobe beef burger; it makes my mouth water thinking about it.

On New Year's Eve we went downtown for dinner and at Fogo de Chao. I didn't take any pictures this time at dinner, but look here for a recap of our first visit. But I did snap this photo of the beautiful river walk decorated for Xmas.