Summer Soltice: 12:16p.m.

Nerd Alert-
This year the official start of summer occurs today at 12:16 p.m. CST, it marks the time at which the sun’s rays are at zenith (directly overhead) at 23.5 degrees north latitude, better known as the Tropic of Cancer.  On the summer solstice, the sun appears above the horizon for the longest amount of time and also reaches its highest point in the sky. On the equinoxes, exactly half of the sun’s apparent circular path is above us and half of it is below, leading to 12 hours of daylight followed by 12 hours of night. 

Okay enough Bill Nye...all I know it that in Central Texas is it hot, hot, hot.  I like to say It's Hot Don (from a popular car dealer commercial in Kentucky). It has felt like summer since the beginning of May, but we have been making the most of it by enjoying summer activities. The past weekend N participating in the Lake Pflugerville Triathlon, as you can see below I was the number one fan.

waiting for the first swim wave to start

N hadn't been in the water since last September or October and his pre-race mantra was "I'm a fish! I'm a fish!"

FINISHER!

Cheers to kicking off the summer right!

* I used Picnik to edit the photos, check it out.

Cypress Ridge

My parents bought some land in my hometown, the proclaimed "Best Place on Earth."  They are tearing down an existing old farm house and building a new house with a pond and trails, even paddle boats have been discussed, you know for the grandkids. Camp GrAnna and Grandad will be in full operation Summer 2013.  You could call this their pre-post retirement project.

It is less than a mile from the first house they built 39 years ago: the house I grew up in, the only house i have known them in, the house that holds all the memories.  My bedroom has always been down the hall the last one on the left.  I am preparing myself now for the move.and.the.packing.  Our family is no stranger to the moving business, but that is moving other peoples memories, NOT 39 years-three-children-one-grandchild-15-years-of-trophies-every-closet-is-the-house-is-full moving.  Oh I can hear the small town talk now......

It has been fun to hear them talk, plan, and discuss their vision for Cypress Ridge.  I hope to get some pictures from when they first purchased the land because they have already done A LOT of work.  My Dad loves a good project and progress he has made on this project is incredible 

This past weekend the existing house was torn down:

Right now the plan is to keep the old barn.  I love it.

View from across the street.

I can't wait to see all the progress in person!

Weekend Eat-a-thon

With ATX already hitting triple digits you would think swim suits and salads would be on the brain, for Neal and I it is completely opposite.  This summer I will sporting a one piece and Neal will be swimming in a t-shirt!  Let me just put it like this, we have been eating like we are getting ready to hibernate for winter.  When we should be sweating to the oldies Richard Simmons style.  This past weekend we feasted on California Pizza Kitchen, Berry Austin, and this crazy pants dessert. 

Here is the quick and dirty on all three:

CPK: If you have not had the California Club pizza run, do not walk, to your local CPK, order and eat.  Even eat it cold  the next day like me!

 Berry Austin: It is locally owned and hip but we have lost our privileges to all self serve fro-yo.  When you spend over $17.00 on frozen yogurt there is problem.  It is delicious and "healthy" but with oreasbutterfingercheesecakebitesgrahamcrackerscookiedoughbrowniebites on top the "heathy" turns in to "heavy"on the scale and the wallet.

Crazy Pants Dessert:  Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie n'Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar dessert, from kevinandamanda's blog.    The pictures alone make you gain 10lbs.  It is ridiculous. Utter ridiculousness.  From a girl who can plow through two rows of brownies, this dessert is intimidating.  Enjoy in small bites.

Now back to my Lean Cuisines and 100 Calorie pack portioned controlled weekly menu.

Count Down

Today is one month till my 29th birthday aka 13 months till the big 3-0.  Not that big of deal, right? It is just a number, right? It might be just a number but it means the clock is ticking on a few things that I have been meaning to do...um for pretty much 30 years.  In no particular order here is a run down for the next 13 months:

• Run a marathon, like for real.  
• Visit Sea Turtle, Inc on South Padre Island
• Take the economic development certification test 
• Full weeks vacation to somewhere other than visiting family or a holiday
• Get engaged, hopefully even married :)  (sorry Neal, had to add it)
• Welcome a new baby niece or nephew in to the world! (going to happen in October whether I put it on this list or not)
• Sign up or complete a flower arranging class
• 70.3 Half Ironman
• See a Texas Tech game live, hello never even been to Lubbock, TX
• Shoot a gun (this has been on my to do list since 2006)
• Volunteer to serve at church on a regular basis
• DEBT FREE
• Grow an herb garden
• Complete La Sportiva Vail Half Marathon  (now i am cheating, this trip is already booked)
• Visit Omaha, Nebraska
• Volunteer at a Ironman Competition
• Add anything else to this list at anytime in the next 13 months and then immediately cross it off.  Yes, I am one of those people.

A few that may take longer than 13 months:

• Visit Anguilla
• Spend at least one night in all 50 States
• Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
• Go to the Kentucky Derby 
• Host monthly dinner parties or start a dinner club

Umk, i better get busy.

The Run for the Roses

The first Saturday in May only means one thing "The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports", The Kentucky Derby.  This year 22 three-year-olds are registered but only 20 will compete.  Sway Away  and Ruler on Ice will only race if one of the below contenders drop out:

Contenders listed with the odds

Animal Kingdom: 28/1

Archarcharch: 10/1

Brilliant Speed: 25/1

Comma to the Top: 35/1

Decisive Moment: 30/1

Derby Kitten: 35/1

Dialed In: 4/1

Master of Hounds: 25/1

Midnight Interlude: 15/1

Mucho Macho Man: 12/1

Nehro: 8/1

Pants On Fire: 15/1

Santiva: 30/1

Shackleford: 14/1

Soldat: 10/1

Stay Thirsty: 20/1

Twice the Appeal: 35/1

Twinspired: 35/1

Uncle Mo: 5/2

Watch Me Go: 35/1

The late Hunter S. Thompson, once described the Kentucky Derby as “Decadent and Depraved,” yet beyond the fancy façade and classy “whiskey gentry,” the Derby has a long stretching history as a Kentucky milestone.  The event is one of Kentucky's proudest.  Since the first Kentucky Derby, May 17, 1875, the Bluegrass state has been a destination for horse breeding and thoroughbred racing.

Whether you are watching from the grand stands or from the comfort of your living room, place a bet, drink a mint julep and have a piece of derby pie!

Kentucky Derby Traditions:

• Mint Julep, an iced drink consisting of bourbon, mint and sugar, is the traditional beverage of the race.
• Burgoo, typically a thick stew of lamb and vegetables is served from iron pots sometimes 10 feet in diameter.  
• Place you bets, study the odds. 
• The Infield, a spectator area inside the track, offers low general admission prices but little chance of seeing much of the race. Instead, revelers show up in the infield to party.  
• "Millionaire's Row" refers to the expensive box seats that attract the rich and famous. 
• Hats, Hats and more Hats, click to see . 
• As the horses are paraded before the grandstands, "My Old Kentucky Home" is played by the University of Louisville marching band while the crowd stands and sings along.
• The Derby is frequently referred to as "The Run for the Roses," because a garland of red roses is awarded to the Kentucky Derby winner each year. The tradition is as a result of New York socialite E. Berry Wall presenting roses to ladies at a post-Derby party in 1883 that was attended by Churchill Downs president, Col. M. Lewis Clark. This gesture is believed to have eventually led Clark to the idea of making the rose the race's official flower. However, it was not until 1896 that any recorded account referred to roses being draped on the Derby winner. 
• The Governor of Kentucky awards the garland and the trophy to the Winner

Derby Pie

1 9-inch unbaked pie shell

2 eggs, beaten
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons bourbon or 2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
Whipped cream
 

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs briefly. Add sugar, butter, bourbon and cornstarch until well blended but not foamy. Pour nuts and morsels into pie shell. Pour egg mixture over the top. Bake 45 minutes. Cool 1 hour. Best if served warm with whipped cream. Serves 6 to 8.

ECC is now ECD!

**Warning: Lots of scrolling while reading this post**

ECC is now ECD! Whooo to the Hooooo!  Emily and her husband, Joe, make a dynamic couple and I just can't express how happy I am for them.  

As I said in a toast to them at their rehearsal dinner, Em and I are 9 months apart, our grandparents and mothers made it a priority to get the families together as often as possible. So in 28 years of friendship there are many fond memories, there are actually not to many memories that do not include Emily.  From swim teams, weeks at summer camp, spring break vacations, mission trips, slumber parties, birthday parties, years at Ole Miss and then on Capitol Hill. 

circa 1984-ECC 3, ERL 2

The weekend kicked off with a family dinner with the bride-to-be on Thursday night at Eddie Merlot's.  Eddie Merlot's art deco decor is beautiful and the food was exceptional, I highly recommend.  It had been raining cats and dogs in Louisville for a week straight the location was perfect, less than a block from Wedding Headquarters or to others The Seelbach Hotel. 

"The Seelbach is a Kentucky landmark it appears on the National Register of Historical Places and considered the premiere hotel in the state of Kentucky. Built in 1905, it is considered a landmark to "the golden era" with its grand ambiance inspiring author F. Scott Fitzgerald to use The Seelbach as a backdrop for Tom and Daisy Buchanan's wedding in The Great Gatsby." says Seelbach website.

Pictures from google images

 Friday morning we had to fake interest in a small wedding taking place in England.  Not sure if you all heard but the Royals had a wedding too, we barely noticed, ha!  After a little Royal watching fix, we were in the wedding mood for the Bridesmaid Lunch.  The morning was a bit chilly but we still enjoyed Mint Juleps, Bloody Mary's, mixed fruit, and a light lunch by the pool in Prospect, KY.  

Like most of the South, Louisville, had gotten a ton of rain the week leading up to the wedding, which in turn caused the Ohio River to rise, which further lead to the groom sending out this email with the subject being: RELOCATED-Emily and Joe's Welcome Dinner and the body being:

THE OHIO RIVER IS OUT OF ITS BANKS…
The Lebanese-American Country Club is flooded!!


Emily and Joe’s
WELCOME DINNER
is relocated

I know this was not amusing to Emily and Joe or their parents but the way the message was conveyed to guest I found hilarious.  The Welcome Dinner took place without a hitch at the new location complete with   a traditional Lebanese feast including baklava and dancing Dabke. 

Bridal Party

Aunt Liz and W

N and E

Sisters

I am not sure why I have no pictures of the groom, cute W with the bride or the other 100+ people there.  I guess I was to busy practicing skinny arm poses and obsessing over W (who I had not scene since November).  Each night ended with a night cap of bourbon or Kentucky Bourbon Ale at The Seelbach bar or some chose to hit nearby 4th Street Live.

Saturday morning started bright and early for the bride, wedding party and 15,000 runner's in town for the Derby Festival Marathon. 

. 

From 7am-1:30pm, someone was getting curled, pinned, tucked, sprayed, fluffed, puffed and ready to go.

Bride

Bride's Brother

Proud Parents of the Bride

Bridal Party and Artist

The ceremony took place at Cathedral of Assumption, conveniently located around the block from wedding headquarters.  

Beautiful Bride

Cousins-all curly heads

Leasure's, Adock's, Carlton

Dinner and Dancing followed at The Henry Clay, again in walking distance.  Excellent logistic planning.

Beaming Bride and Groom

First Dance

Everything was gorgeous, the bride, the groom, the family, the flowers, the cake, the band.  It was true celebration.  
Congratulations Emily and Joe!

Now to make this post even longer, on Sunday, we had some free time before heading to airport so we drove around Church Hills Downs.  Church Hill Downs just opened Saturday night and it was six days out from the Derby.  We were in my Dad's commercial vehicle so we just drove on in like we owned the place.  There is no way we would be anywhere this close to the track the first weekend in May.

 I hope the weather is better for the running of the ponies.  
Place your Bets!!

ROY G BIV

For this post it will be ROY G BV, I wanted to make a cake and since we were going to a friend birthday it was perfect timing.  This cake needed a special occasion for a few of reasons:  first, it is not hard, but it takes a while to make. Second, it is a lot of cake and I did not need it hanging around my house.  Third, it screams take me to a party.  This is not just any cake it is a RAINBOW cake.  It just makes people happy. 

Typically I am not one to venture into a multi-step, time consuming bake-a-thon but I REALLY wanted to make this cake.  I tend to skip over directions or cut corners and lose motivation but not this time though and the end result was worth it.  All you need is two white box cakes, follow the box directions, food coloring and white icing. 

 I only used six colors, so divided the batter into 1.5 cups with 1 teaspoon of coloring each.

Most important tip: use coloring found in the cake decorating aisle at Micheal's or Wal-mart, the drop kind of food coloring will not give a bold color.

Also, spray your cake pans really really well, you want cakes that come out like this

not this

but

icing fixed most of the mishaps.

It was totally worth the effort!

Enjoy.

For more detail hop over to: Whatever