The office is ready!

Erica has never seen this room so clean!

Off to Goodwill to make a last minute donation for the 2010 tax year!

Progress Photos

Hope you can appreciate the cleanliness of the Loft, even in the bad lighting.

Guest Bath is squeaky clean and Chris has explicit orders to not use this bathroom under any circumstances so it stays that way ;)

More progress will be posted soon!

Winter Cleaning

We took a couple days off over Christmas to relax and spend some time together. But it has been work, work, work around here since Sunday. We are "spring" cleaning and getting our house ready to be put up for sale. We don't know exactly when that will be. In the mean time, there will be massive cleaning, de-cluttering, maybe some do-it-yourself staging as suggested by our real estate agent, and a few fix-it items on the agenda.

We will keep you posted on the progress. Good thing we have our caffeine covered!

Chris's favorite xmas presents

Chris got a French press coffee maker from his parents and a Starbucks insulated mug from Erica. He has used them almost every day since he got them! Caffeine!!!
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Tis the Season

Christmas means puzzles at our house. Chris has been very busy.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Team Tubing

Today we took the afternoon off of work and drove to Soldier Hollow for some tubing fun. It was wet and rainy today, so the tubing wasn't very fast. Tomorrow we are all heading to my bosses house for games (rumors of Minute To Win It challenges), cookie decorating, and pizza.

Action shot down the hill

(most of) The Team

Hooked on and heading up the hill

I got the last Bumblebee!

We "adopted" Carson, a 7 year old foster child this year for Christmas. I picked him because he wanted a Bumblebee Transformer which I thought was pretty cool.

Just my luck! Transformers were on sale this week at Target. I ran there after work tonight and found a Bumblebee. I had to do some digging (the toy section was insane), but I got the last one and am excited to drop all of his Christmas goodies off tomorrow.

Work at Home

We are both working from home today. It is pretty fun and it gives us a reason to use our dining room table. Chris is used to working in complete quiet and I work on a very noisy team. I think I have been talking too much today and it is only 10am.

Okay, nose to the grindstone!

Stranded

Our flights were canceled yesterday. We are hanging out at Emily & Andy's house today while they are working. We have put in lots of Wii time to pass the time until our flights which aren't until tonight.

We had a really fun weekend.

K State vs Loyola

We are at the b-ball game with Erica's friend from grad school, Angela. She went to K State for undergrad.

We got in late last night, and opened our stockings. This morning we slept in and went Blue Max for breakfast (thanks St. Nick!).

Festive

We decorated at work. Now we are working by the glow of Christmas lights and jamming to the Muppets holiday channel on Pandora - it is quite good.

Erica & Libby at Dallas Whiterock Marathon

We are running the marathon relay today!
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For the First Time, the TSA Meets Resistance

This is funny. Click the link below.

For the First Time, the TSA Meets Resistance - Jeffrey Goldberg - National - The Atlantic

Back from the Airport

Here is our little apartment in the snow:

Just dropped Chris off. The snow was up to the doors of the car this morning.

Whale Rock

This rock looks like a whale. We hiked all the way up to the top of its head.

Chris scrambling up the steepest part.

On top of the whale.

Grand View Point Overlook

Erica on the ledge.

Chris and the White Rim.

Can you see Chris doing a handstand?

Mesa Arch

Canyonlands had some arch action too:

Hiking up to Mesa Arch.

The La Sal Mountains framed by the arch.

Canyonlands National Park - Island in the Sky

These shots are from one of the first view areas inside the park.

Back to Blogging

We left Moab at 5:45 this morning. A winter storm was coming through Utah and we wanted to get through the mountains before it hit there. The last 60 miles were pretty yucky. But, we made it home safe and sound before 10am.

We unloaded the car and Erica made berry pancakes and egg and hotdog scramble. It is going to snow off and on for the rest of the day. Perfect weather for football, blogging, holiday deal surfing, and laundry.

We updated some of the previous posts with more pictures now that we have better internet.

We had the best time and can't believe how beautiful it was in and around Moab.

Merrimack and Monitor

On Saturday morning, we drove to Canyonlands National Park. The park is divided into three sections: Island in the Sky, Needles, and the Maze. We went to the Island in the Sky.

This picture was taken on the way to the park. These are 2 buttes that resemble the Merrimack and the Monitor.

Fiery Furnace

Here we are in front of the Fiery Furnace! You can only hike into the Fiery Furnace with a ranger guide or a permit and it is easy to get lost so we will have to wait to hike there.

It is called Fiery Furnace because it glows red in the sunlight just like a furnace.

Landscape Arch

This arch spans 360 ft. It is the largest span of rock in the world.

Sand Dune Arch

The arch is inside these fins.

Hiking into the fins.

This was one of our favorite arches. We loved the red sand and the fins around it.

Delicate Arch

Chris under the arch.

Erica next to the arch.

Delicate Arch.

Hike to Delicate Arch

About .75 miles into the 1.5 mile hike to the arch.

Chris leading the way on a ledge walkway.

Chris took a picture of Erica taking a picture.

Just up the path and around the corner is Delicate Arch.

Balanced Rock

Arches

Today we spent the whole day in Arches. This was taken on our first excursion - before we even saw any arches. We hiked about 8 miles total and didn't even see everything. We are super hungry so we are going to go out for pizza and beer. We will blog more later. And there will be arches!

We Have a lot to be Thankful For

Happy Thanksgiving everybody! Life is good and we couldn't be more thankful. We are also thankful for each and every one of you, our family and friends. We love you guys.

We planned a Thanksgiving adventure to Moab. This morning we had big plans to get up early and head to Arches National Park. But, it is really cold. So, we are taking our time getting there. The only thing planned for today is our 4+ hour drive and Thanksgiving dinner at Buck's Grill House. It is supposed to warm up to 40 degrees tomorrow and almost 50 on Saturday, so we are planning our outdoor activities (Arches and Canyonlands National Parks) then.

We are very excited to see the sights. We will post pictures and all that good stuff - don't worry! Alright, have to pull out the long johns and layers so we can get on the road.

What is everyone else doing today?

Pumpkin Oatmeal

Erica went all-out this morning and made pumpkin oatmeal for the holiday. This should give us plenty of energy to get down to Moab and continue celebrating!

Here is the recipe:
1 C old fashined rolled oats
1 C water (I used coconut water)
1 C milk
cinnamon
clove
vanilla

Cook on the stove over medium-low heat for 5 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and is the consistency you like.

Then stir in 1/3 cup pumpkin

Our oats were topped with chopped walnut, a drizzle of coconut manna aka coconut butter, and a spoonful of white chocolate wonderful peanut butter.

Blizzard!

A blizzard is on its way to Utah. A cold front is moving in with 6-8 inches of snow in the valley and 30-50 mph winds.

Our office closed down at 3pm today and everyone on my team is working from home tomorrow.

Some roads have been closed North of Salt Lake City already.

Twins

Our friends Sarah and David are expecting twins - a boy and girl. They had a couples shower at Cori's house today. Sarah looks great, she is due is February. They are going to be awesome parents and we are very excited for them!
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Erica LOVES this commercial!

We found out the actress is comedian Maria Bamford. Erica cracks up when Maria is looking at the Target Ad and running through the store at the end. There is an entire series of Maria-Target ads on YouTube.

The Stupid "Truth"

This is long, but fascinating. And sad.

New Recipe

Chris and Erica are in Denver having breakfast at Duo...it is supposed to be delicious. Erica flew in this morning and we are going to look at houses in Denver for the first time. The place mats have recipes from kids. Chris's place mat has his new favorite recipe!
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The Joys of Technology

This is Erica. If you received an untitled e-mail from me tonight around 7:46pm MST time, do not open it. Delete it.

My e-mail account was compromised and I am currently locked out of it. Hoping to get access soon to assess the damage.

I apologize if you were a recipient.

Fall

We didn't end up watching another movie at the dollar theater, we didn't like any of the other shows. It was a bit of a lazy Sunday; we went out last night and closed the bars down.

Chris read a lot. Erica looked at the on-line Target ad like she does every Sunday, searched for savory pumpkin recipes, cleaned, and baked a spaghetti squash. We also took the window A/C unit out of the apartment. That, paired with the time change, surely means it is officially Fall.

One good thing about Fall is the fall food. Tonight was spaghetti squash "pasta" and spaghetti sauce. It was super simple and it tasted good. Perfect for a cool night.

Now we are just soaking up the last few hours of the weekend before the work week starts again.

"Dollar" Theater

We went to the Dollar theater to watch the movie Inception for $1.50 a ticket. We both thought the movie was really good. Can't beat a good movie for $3.00 on a Saturday afternoon. Chris is talking about going back to see something else today (I think he is only half kidding).

Tea Blossom

Chris brought me blossoming tea from China! It starts out as a tea ball and when you add it to near boiling water, it blooms. I received a variety box so each bloom is different.

Happy Birthday Chris!

Can't wait to celebrate with you this weekend. Love, E

We are Bad Bloggers

Here's the scoop - we have been sick. Erica got what Chris had, only worse - fever, cough, painful sore throat, body aches, and lack of energy. The weekend was spent snoozing on the couch because watching TV and reading sounded too exhausting.

Chris watched many many episodes of Arrested Development and also read many many pages of his latest book, The Hobbit.

Channa Masala

Erica found this recipe while Chris was in China and has been looking forward to making it. Tonight was the night! It is very tasty - a lot of flavors. Erica had Chris try it. His response: "Is it good?" He can't taste anything since he is under the weather. Despite it's yumminess, Erica really wasn't in the mood for a heavy dish. So, we got in the car and drove for ice cream. It hit the spot. Perfect for Chris's sore throat too.

Before you try out this recipe, please read through this tutorial. The instructions are very particular. But don't worry, the dish is pretty simple.

Channa Masala

Serves 4

2 15 ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

1 inch knob ginger, peeled and chopped

1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes

3 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 lemon

1 tbsp coriander

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp garam masala

1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp tumeric

2 tbsp butter

In a large cast iron skillet, heat the butter. Once melted, add the onions and cook for about 15 minutes on medium low heat, or until golden brown.

Once the onions have caramelized, add the garlic, ginger and jalapeno and stir well. Cook for about two minutes or until it starts to smell like heaven on earth.

Add the tomato paste and pince. This is very important and if you don’t do it right your dish is pretty much doomed. No pressure.

Add the coriander, cumin, cayenne and tumeric and stir well. Then add the diced tomatoes, chickpeas and garam masala.

Cook for about five minutes or until the chickpeas have heated through. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and top with plain yogurt and cilantro if desired.

A Catch Up

A family of three tomatoes were walking downtown one day when the little baby tomato started lagging behind. The big father tomato walks back to the baby tomato, stomps on her, squashing her into a red paste, and says "Ketchup!" Here is our catch up:

Chris got back home last Sunday. He was very jet lagged. He has a lot of pictures from China, he just hasn't blogged them yet. Maybe this week. Chris has been sick since he returned from his trip.

Erica has started streaming Nip/Tuck on Netflix and is totally addicted. It is dark, but entertaining. She has also been working long hours as busy season at work has started.

This weekend was rainy and cool. No hiking or outdoors activities for us. We got out for a few hours of shopping on Saturday. Chris's eyes were bothering him all day Saturday and got worse through the evening. It seemed he had all of the symptoms of pink eye. We found an express care clinic that was open on Sunday just in case. The internet says salt water and cold compresses help, so we tried them out. We used saline solution in lieu of making our own salt water.

This morning Chris's eyes looked and felt better. They still appear a little red and sore, but aren't goopy like they were yesterday. He felt good enough to go to brunch with our friends Julie and Keith at the Copper Onion. After brunch, we grabbed a few groceries and then we both fell asleep on the couch. Perfect weather for napping.

Sports Drink

I have not been running as much lately. The days are shorter, the temps are cooler, and most nights I just do not want to leave the warm apartment. I need to get better about getting out the door and putting in the miles.

I found this recipe for homemade sports drink that will be fun to try on long runs. The recipe is measured for ONE QUART of sports drink.

1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
water

Put salt and sugar into 1 cup water and stir. Microwave mixture for one minute – stir again to dissolve completely. Add mixture to bottle with orange juice and lemon juice and fill with a handful of ice. Swirl to cool the hot water down, and then fill to the top with cold water. Note: most Gatorade bottles are one quart, so they are perfect to fill with this.

http://www.thefrontburnerblog.com/2010/02/recipe-homemade-sports-drink.html

China Update

It sounds like Chris has been having a pretty good time on the other side of the world. One evening he played pool at the European style Bund Brewery. There is a ping pong table at the office and the guys were able to play one afternoon.

Chris ate bull frog leg. He did not eat the chicken foot in his soup and they did not order the bull or deer penis soup.

He says it is pretty humid there.

That's all I know. Happy Friday everyone!

I Was on the News for Two Seconds

Make-A-Wish wins $100,000 Grant from Humana

Click the link above, watch the video. I am just after the 1 minute mark. My back is to the camera. Everyone at work was all excited about it.

Day and Night

Night and day pics from hotel window...