Bon Anniversaire!

Two years ago today I married my best friend. Happy anniversary!

Photostream here.

Weekend Wrap Up

Friday
Friday was hell day. The day started off with the comps (which I think I did well on), moved on to margaritas & then ended up with me going into work because my office was being cleaned out & driving home in tears of exhaustion & frustration.

Saturday
I woke up on Saturday determined to not let my work situation ruin the whole weekend, so I gulped down a few cups of coffee & put on my running shoes. I didn't work out all last week, so it was time. I ran a good 3-4 miles in my neighborhood. At one point, a loose, yellow Lab ran up to me & ran in front of me for about 2 miles. It was kind of hilarious. I wish I knew where he lived, so I could knock on their door & tell them they're welcome for exercising their dog. By the way, I've dubbed him "I-40 Dog."

Saturday night John & I cashed in a $100 gift card at The Palm in early celebration of our anniversary. Today is our actual anniversary (2 years, baby!) & we talked about eating at Wendy's tonight because that's where we ate the night of our wedding, but I'm already thinking of other places I'd like to eat instead (it's been a rough day), so we'll see.

Sunday
God, the time change yesterday really messed me up. I woke up at 4:45am. On a Sunday! It SUCKED. I drank about a pot of coffee & finished Season 1 of Friday Night Lights (see below), then I took a nap, all well before noon. What can I say, I'm a baller.

OMG, FNL!

Ya'll! I just finished watching Friday Night Lights (Season 1), all 22 episodes. Oh. My. GOD! Why didn't I listen to Tiffany years ago when she told me to watch this show? Why didn't I watch it when she gave me the first season on DVD for my birthday last year? WHY?

Side Note:

Sorry, I've been up since 4:45am (stupid time change) & have had WAY too much coffee. There's probably going to be a lot of caps lock & exclamation points in this post.

Okay, where was I? Oh yeah, my UNABASHED LOVE for Friday Night Lights, aka FNL. Anyone that knows me can attest to my complete apathy & ignorance for football, so take that to mean that this show is not about football. Obviously, football is part of the show, but the show is about the relationships between the people in the town.

In the first season, Coach Taylor & his family moves to Dillon, Texas to coach the town's high school football team, the Dillon Panthers. This small Texas town lives & breathes Panthers football. What happens in the first episode will 100% draw you in & make it impossible to not keep watching. And it just gets better. You think you know what it's going to be about, but you so don't. It goes so much farther than you think a network drama about football can go. I don't want to say anything else because it'll ruin it & YOU ALL need to watch this show!

I'm not a crier, but this show got to me, especially in the last 2 episodes (OMG!). I can't tell you how many times this week John has walked into the living room & laughed at me for being so visibly & physically enthralled with this show.

Also worth noting, Brian Grazer is one of the creators & executive producers. It's been my experience that Brian Grazer doesn't do anything bad. If he's involved, I'm typically going to enjoy it (see also: Arrested Development, Parenthood, A Beautiful Mind, etc.).

In August, it was announced that the current season, Season 5, would be the last season. The show has won all kinds of critical acclaim & awards, but it's had trouble with ratings. The current season airs on NBC. You can watch all the previous seasons on ABC Family. They're also available on Netflix Instant Streaming.

I cannot recommend this show enough. It's hands-down one of the best TV shows out there. RIP, FNL. RIP...

My Job

I'm only posting this because I know the majority of you don't follow politics, especially locally. My boss lost his reelection last night. This was 100% unexpected & caught everyone off guard. I did not leave my office yesterday thinking I may wake up today without a job. That sounds dramatic. In all likelihood, I still have a job, but it's not a guarantee. The new guy doesn't take over until January, so I'm presumably safe until then. In January, one of three things will happen: 1) I find a new job by then & none of this matters; 2) the new guy keeps me; or 3) the new guy brings in someone else & they move me to another office.

Again, this staying until January thing isn't a guarantee, so I'm still a little freaked out. Also worth nothing, my comps are this Friday. This is the huge test I take to graduate. I took today & tomorrow off to study, but I have a feeling my concentration isn't going to be what I'd like it be in light of recent events.

That is all.

Halloweekend

Scary Kay & Rachel Zoe

Foxy Lady, Miss Argentina, Sunmaid Raisin Girl, John Oates & Scary Kay

Oates!

How I Became the Bomb

Captain America vs. Superman

Jon Burr as John Baldwin

Beetlejuice!

Would the real John Baldwin please stand up?

Cave couple

Phyllis Diller & young (redneck) lover

Humpty Hump & "Just Visiting"

Captain America & Trailerhood

Sunmaid Raisin Girl & Steve Martin

Orville Redenbacher, photographer at large

Halloween is my favorite holiday. This was the second year we hosted a Halloween party at our house. About an hour before the party, Courtney called & said Brian was coming straight from a photo shoot & had all of his equipment with him, did I want him to bring it to the party? Yes. Yes, I did.

Full photostream here.

Disclaimer: some of these pictures are not for the faint of heart, or probably anyone related to me by blood.

All images © Brian Risse of Brian Risse Photography and may not be used without permission.

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

Boil your chicken

Shred chicken in large bowl

Mix veg-all, cream of chicken soup, milk, salt & pepper

Add chicken

Pour into pie dish

Place pie crust on top, cut off excess & cut 3 small slits in top

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes

Voila!

This is Mary Katherine's recipe. She gave it to me years ago when I was trying to convince John that I was more than a city girl with a strong propensity for vodka & 4 syllable curse words. Fast forward to six years later & you can see that my plan clearly worked, so thanks Mary Katherine!

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

1 can veg-all mixed vegetables, drained

1 can cream of chicken soup

*4 cups shredded chicken

1 Pillsbury ready-made pie crust

Milk

Salt & pepper

*I used a bag of chicken breasts. If you use canned chicken, buy 3 or 4 large cans.

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Boil your chicken breasts in a large stock pot for about 10 minutes, then set on a paper towel lined plate to dry.

In a medium bowl, combine veg-all & cream of chicken soup. After you pour in the soup, pour in about half a can of milk & mix. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Shred your boiled chicken breasts in a large bowl, then add to the mixture.

Spray a glass pie dish with Pam, then pour the mixture into the dish.

Roll out 1 pie crust & place it on top of the pie, pinching the edges with your fingers. Take a butter knife & cut the excess off the edges, then cut 3 small slits in the top.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, or until pie crust is brown all over.

(You might want to place some aluminum foil under the dish when you put it in the oven because the pot pie mixture tends to bubble.)

Weekend Wrap Up

I can sum this weekend up in two words: Halloween party. It was amazing & once I have all the pictures, I'll do a proper wrap up. Until then, I leave you with Scary Kay & Steve Martin, respectively.