Travels to Minneapolis

I'm blogging live from chilly Minneapolis, where I believe I see some snow flurries out my meeting room window. Not quite enough for the first snow angel of the year, but the day is young!

I flew into town yesterday through O'hare, which is always an adventure. Fortunately everything went smoothly yesterday, and low and behold, my bags even made the full the journey! I did have about a 2 1/2 hour layover in Chicago, which gave me some time to stretch my legs...a lot! I walked the entire B and C concourses, including the 200 or so yard corridor that connects the two. It was kind of fun to walk past all the gate areas and see the various destinations that people were headed to. On my "please take me with you" list were Dusseldorf, Colorado Springs, Munich, Frankfurt, and Manchester, England. On the "oh thank goodness I'm not going there" list were Hartford/Springfield, St. Louis, Detroit, and CLEVELAND!

I'm here just until tomorrow, and am not sure if I'll have time to visit the Mall of America, but will see what I can do. Andy would probably prefer that I get caught up in other activities...

In the meantime, I just might step outside at my next break and try to catch my first snowflake of the year!

We've hit the peak!

I think Mother Nature is celebrating our Hokie victory last night as the colors outside my windows are just gorgeous oranges and maroons (with a little gold thrown in there as well!) I can't believe the change in color overnight, my tree in the front yard literally went from green to gold in 12 hours.

Just a great time of year!

My husband...the smoker!

Ok, so that headline isn't exactly what you might be thinking. Aside from an occasional cigar with his dad, Andy does not smoke...ciggarettes that is. What he does smoke is any kind of meat he can get his hands on!

About a month and a half ago, Andy finally purchased a smoker, something he'd been researching for quite some time. He already has a gas grill and a charcoal grill (both Webers of course) but somehow, that just wasn't enough outdoor cooking equipment for him. So, now we have a third method of cooking outside, and one more distraction for Andy during football games!

The thing about the smoker is that food takes a really long time to cook, but Andy enjoys the process and has enjoyed the time he spends reading by the smoker even more. It is fun to watch him out there, checking on the meat, making sure the temperature is just right, and responding to inquiries from our neighbors on whether or not we realize that smoke is coming from our patio.

So far we've had baby back ribs, chicken, and best of all, the turkey breast he smoked on Sunday. That turkey was so moist I couldn't believe it. I'm told the trick is that you actually put water in the bottom of the smoker, so it is steam smoking the meat, which keeps everything nice and moist. An interesting method to try in the oven on the Thanksgiving turkey.

I'm not sure what is next on Andy's list of things to smoke (or grill!), but I'm looking forward to it just the same!

Stepping off my soap box...

Ok, so on a lighter note, aside from the excitement of the outcome, I also had a great time last night hosting an "election viewing" party for our friends Dave and Alsyia.

We made Obama's family chili recipe, which was quite different from the chili we usually make. It was fun to try a new recipe and we'll definitely be making this one again. The cool part was that you served it over rice, a great way to soak up the yummy juices! For dessert I made festive cupcakes.

I set up an election viewing area in our basement, and we even dressed Liddy up in her patriotic scarf. It was fun to have friends over to watch the returns, and it was even better since they were routing for the same team!

A new day...

Yesterday's election, regardless of who you voted for, was a proud and monumental moment in this country's history. Not just for the obvious reasons, but because it was the perfect illustration of what democracy is all about.

In his victory speech, President-elect, Barrack Obama said, "If there is anyone out there who doubts that America is a place where anything is possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.”

I don't think I've ever been so wrapped up in the results of an election. I was glued to the television watching all of the commentary and anxiously awaiting as state after state were "called." I watched with admiration as Senator McCain gave a gracious, uplifting, and heartwarming concession speech. Again, no matter which side of the aisle you sit on, you cannot deny that this man fought hard and is the epitome of what a great American citizen should be.

I was literally blown away by the unprecedented celebrations that took place on the proverbial "Main Streets" all across the country. I even heard one celebrator state that while she hadn't voted for Obama, she was there to celebrate the fact that she could vote and that so many others in this nation had exercised their right and responsibility to do so as well.

Watching all of this unfold, I knew I was seeing history in the making. People reminisce about where they were when we first landed on the moon or when the Berlin wall fell and I knew watching the coverage last night that I would forever remember that moment. I am happy to add it to the list of good things to reminisce about in this nation, especially at a time when this country needs something to celebrate and be proud of.

So congratulations to President-elect Obama and here's to at least four years of progress and change that apparently so many of us believe in.

Happy Red Cup Day!!!

I want to take a moment to wish you all the happiest of happy Red Cup Days!! That's right folks, Starbucks has rolled out their holiday beverages and festive red cups! I have to admit, this day came a few days earlier than usual, and for today I am somewhat wishing it were "Blue Cup" day, but that's chatter for another post! :)

Enjoy your tasty beverages as they do taste so much better in those ruby red cups!

Cheers!

A fun Halloween weekend...

I loved that Halloween was a Friday this year! It is so much easier to celebrate when you don't have to worry about work the next day. We had a great Halloween evening over at my sister-in-law's house. Bebe always throws great Halloween parties, and this one was no exception. Our nephew, Davey, turned 9 on Saturday, so the party on Friday was also a celebration for the little (or maybe not so little anymore!) guy!

Everyone came dressed up, including my mother-in-law in a mask and witches hat, my father-in-law as "The Green Man" (I think he was making a political statement, but he could just like the color green!, Bebe as Medusa, Andy as a cowboy, Davey as a Star Wars Commtrooper, Kurt as an Australian Indiana Jones, and myself as Sarah Palin. Quite the eclectic crowd! We even dressed Liddy up, though she wasn't thrilled!

Saturday night we attended another Halloween party at Greg and Erica's. For this party Andy changed his costume to "Joe the Plumber," plunger and all! We got to meet new friends, and also see some old ones, some of which have made "additions" to their families since we last hung out. It was fun to see little Sarah Catherine and baby Owen meet for the first time, too cute!

Probably one of the better costumes of the night was Dave and Alysia's depiction of "John & Kate plus 8." If you've seen the show, you'll see why it was the perfect costume for them. I was also amuzed by Greg's portrayal of Michael Vick. Though that stuffed dog of his looked a little too much like Liddy for my liking!

I was happy to have the extra hour of sleep on Sunday, and was all rested up for my parent's visit. My mom and I were supposed to re-organize my kitchen cabinets, but instead we just spent the afternoon chatting and doing some shopping. All the while, Andy was smoking a turkey and preparing our first "thanksgiving" meal of the season. Yum!